April 03rd, 2025

This is a crow.  Just your basic crow.  A regular bird. I'm sure you've seen them and probably not paid a great deal of attention to them. Me either.  Until Sydney.

We have our own crow now and I've named him (or her)  Sydney.  Why?  I have no idea.  I tend to name creatures and that was the name I arbitrarily chose.

I first noticed Sydney when  we put a bird bath in the courtyard.  There were a few small birds that occasionally came by to use it, but it wasn't exactly a high traffic area.  I was considering moving the birdbath and debating where to place it when I looked out the window one day and saw this massive black bird perched precariously on the edge and helping himself to a drink.   Wow!

I thought it was great the cats weren't certain how they felt about it.  They were also watching out the same window and looked at me with big round eyes that kind of said, "What they heck?"  Crows are good sized birds y'see. The wingspan alone is more than a yard across! That's a wee bit intimidating to a small cat !

The second time the crow showed up at the birdbath, he actually used it for a bath.  Water went everywhere as he splashed around. It was very entertaining though I was concerned for his safety as the birdbath was originally not intended for a bird his size and the structure tipped a little this way and that as he enjoyed himself.  After he left and I replaced the water, I also took the time to make sure the birdbath was more stable for his weight.  He returned multiple times which was when I bothered to name him. 

And then suddenly, one day without warning, he was gone. Just disappeared. Awwww, bummer.  I read up on birdbaths and attracting birds. I moved the birdbath to the backyard to an area that seemed more bird friendly and still no Sydney. Nor any other birds either.  I stopped concerning myself with the birdbath after a few months. If nobody is using it, why I am constantly putting in fresh water, y'know?    Then last year's hurricane season happened, and the birdbath was damaged.  The subject became Moot.

A few months after hurricane season, I was cleaning out the pantry one day and noticed that somehow, we had collected multiple boxes of microwave popcorn that was very short dated. I started to just throw it away and at the last second held back.  I suppose I could go ahead and pop it all and put it outside for birds/squirrels/whoever wanted it.   I filled a large garbage bag with all of the popped corn, scooped one bowl of it and gave it a toss into the backyard without any real thought.  I figured that I would check the next day and if it was gone, hurrah, somebody enjoyed it.  If it was still there, I could always just throw it away. After all, it was already in a garbage bag, right?

To my surprise I had barely made it back into the house when a crow landed and gobbled up some of the treat, ate it with apparent relish and then grabbed some more before flying off with it.  As I watched, he returned for several more trips before the popcorn was all gone!  Hurrah! Sydney was back!

Every day, around the same time, I put a bowl sized scoop of popcorn outside in the same general area and every day, as soon as I went back inside, Sydney would come down and enjoy it before taking some with him to, I guess, share.  Huzzah!

Eventually I ran out of popcorn, but found some slightly stale cereal which he also loved, some broken granola bars of which he was also fond and currently I set out crackers for him.  He loves them all.  I hear him caw to announce his presence around 9 o'clock every morning now.  I go outside and yell, Hey Sydney!  and hold up my hand with the crackers so he can see that I have a treat for him.   I put the crackers on the ground in the same spot and, usually, he swoops from the tree to the rooftop and then, once I've gone inside, to the ground to eat.

I was thrilled a few weeks ago when he gracefully glided from the roof's edge to the ground while I was still outside.  I believe we have established a level of trust.  It is so amazing that Sydney and I have created this Trust between us. We cannot  communicate really, so it's not like there was a negotiation or a discussion.  But I suppose I've proven that I mean him no harm and that was good enough for him.  It's good enough for me too :)

In reading about crows, I've learned that they are extremely smart creatures. Apparently, they have the same brain weight to body ratio as humans.   They are inquisitive, curious and clever.  They create tools to use and are quite adaptable to their surroundings and situations. In my reading I learned that they are monogamous and that while some cultures believe them to represent death, other cultures believe them to be good luck omens.  I also now know that a group of crows is referred to as a murder, which is an unkind choice of words!

As far as intelligence goes, I have seen Sydney tucking crackers away in different parts of the yard, saving them for later so I know he's giving the situation a great deal of thought. He doesn't turn food down, but he doesn't waste it either.  Smart!

I took a few photos from the family room window the other day of Sydney and his crackers:

I believe I misspoke before. I said that we have our own crow now.  That's not true.  We don't own Sydney and more than he owns us.  He is his own bird, comes and goes as he pleases. Isn't the expression "as free as a bird after all?  So no, we do not have a crow, but there is a local one that trusts us enough to eat what we have to offer and isn't afraid of us. And that'll do.

I'm really glad that Sydney decided that we were ok.  Not as good as crows, of course, but as human go, we aren't half bad.

I went back through my recent pictures and found a few other non-Sydney crow photos to finish up with.  Hope you enjoy!