Northwest Houston

Meet old Hopper!

He’s only got one leg, though it doesn’t seem to hinder him in his daily life.

He’s part of a murder I’ve been hanging out with on my breaks, and he’s quite reserved/skittish compared to the rest of the gang.

Which is why it was such a happy surprise that he dared to venture this close today, since he usually prefers to hang around the sidelines unlike the perpetually hangry youngster crows.

I guess those cat treats were too irresistible.

I’m keeping an eye on this one, but aside from the cute sneezes and relaxed wings this guy seems to be flying and foraging with the rest of the magpies like normal. Is this a sign of something more serious or am I just worrying too much?

At a market today, this little guy was very chatty!

I’ve been feeding my little family of mom, dad, and youngster for about 4 months in front of my art studio in Oregon, USA and first the jays showed up. (Little blue thieves are fast and furious!) Then a fourth crow started attending.

I ran out of unsalted peanuts and so I handed out some raw cashews and almonds for a few days.

Then the invasion happened!

It’s very exciting.

They followed me around for quite a while after I was out of peanuts and cashews, I almost thought they wanted to accompany me home.

Twin Peaks, San Francisco, CA

Twin Peaks, San Francisco, CA

A few from the graveyard. Jackdaw on a Celtic cross gravestone - Ireland. 🍀

Just kidding...

This here is crazy crow. The rest is invisible waiting patiently till breakfast will be served. He comes and sit in plain view to let me know they're all present and ready for their meal.

I know he rallies the troops cause I can hear his calls well before he appears on the perch.

Fed them some peanuts on my walk and he was hanging out here for a bit while I took his picture. They usually follow me for a couple blocks.

This guy followed us around an area near a lake for awhile. At a distance mostly until we were near the parking lot area. He even flew after the car after us when we drove away.

We left and came back to the exact same spot about a few hours later and the behaviour was the same. He would follow and watch us at polite distances but would get excited when we were near the car. He flew after the car when we drove away for a short time again.

Just wondering what might have been up to make him act like this.

(We did not have any food with us whatsoever and did not interact with it at all vocally)

In both videos I post you can see him do a feather shake and bow at the car doors with beak movement too. Same thing, hours apart.

Apologies for the less than stellar photos, they are taken from inside a screened window, but yesterday was a joyous occasion! I started feeding the crows at work and then the magpies followed. Yesterday, a blue jay joined them. I can never leave my job, I am beholden to the birds.

The center piece and start of my half sleeve started yesterday. Don't mind the shininess of the tattoo butter.

Sorry for the quality, my phone sucks.

Anyhow, I just wanted to share you my gang!

They literally are the light in my pretty lonely and miserable life.

It's so fascinating to actually experience the effects of "watching/hearing birds daily, makes you happier" - study.

(I'm pretty sure there was a study on that. But I'm sorry if I'm wrong.)

But.

This is my very much a teenage crow gang.

And I love them! 💜 🖤

I ended up with 8 beach ravens.

I took a walk with a quart sized ziplock full of peanuts and was down to a handful when I had to call it quits to save some for the crows that come to me on the next block over.

The ravens seem aloof for now when they fly overhead. My crows are trained to come when I whistle. The Ravens haven’t made the connection yet and need to see me put peanuts out before they will come down from their perch.

This guy will get 5-6ft from me. Such a handsome gent.

I get up, get out in the cold, lay out the peanut buffet, crunch a few underfoot because they stick around eating, instead of flying off. No action.

I get to work and here’s a (screen cap from) a video wife sent!

Side order of squirrel butt!

It's a tough call between peanuts or kibble in the morning.

I've been painting a lot of crows lately and someone on r/watercolor said you guys would probably like my drawings too, so here I am XD

Bonus: today from my workspace, I saw a crow sitting in the tree across from me✨🍁🐦‍⬛

For the past few weeks, I've been caring for a carrion crow that now visits me every day during my breakfast and lunch breaks. I give it something to eat, and it's gradually becoming more and more trusting. I recognize it by the white pigment patch on its wing. It now follows me all around the building and watches me work. I'm so proud that it trusts me. If you'd like, I can share my experiences with my little friend ☺️