The Crow: Day 2

The crow.

I do believe most folks don’t give the crow enough credit casting the species off as a dirty bird. Granted, the crow doesn’t have the grander of its cousin, the raven, or the joyful song of a warbler or the handsome, rugged good looks of the bald eagle, but the crow is a bird species like no other.

The American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) is an all-black, large, long-legged, thick-necked, and highly social bird. Inquisitive and sometimes mischievous, crows are good learners and problem-solvers all awhile asserting dominance over larger birds like owls and hawks.

But they are nervous birds. This is the first time I ever photographed a crow. Most often they take off at the very squeak of human footsteps. This particular crow balanced on the tree top for 20 minutes none the wiser to my photo taking. However, once I took my camera off of it to change my CF card, it took to flight.

On a side note, the weather here in northern Wisconsin is depressing. The calendar says spring, but the temperature continue to be glacial and the falling precipitation continues in the form of snow. The weather and lack of sunshine is beginning to take its toll on everyone’s spirits and general well-being.

American Crow. Star Lake. Vilas County, WI. March 21, 2013.