the birds!

We have lots of crows in this neighborhood. Sometimes, in the evening around dusk, we'll be walking the pups and suddenly become aware of the noise level rising...and rising...until we're being subjected to some kind of crazy crow symphony or something. (But it's not exactly what I'd call a melodious sort of symphony) We look up, and notice them massing in the trees above us. More and more arrive like they're late for a party, already half drunk and very rowdy. Then, I guess after the head crow decides they've disturbed the peace and freaked out enough humans in this neighborhood, they all fly off with a cacophony of caws to the next party place (could it be a crow bar?) leaving everything eerily quiet. The first time I witnessed it, I shuddered, feeling a little like Tippi Hedren in The Birds. I called the Audubon Society once, and they told me that crows don't exactly flock, (so what exactly do you call that... assembling? swarming?) they're actually just joining up to roost somewhere, probably down along the river. (in a van?)

So, this brings me to today.   I was walking the dogs and heard a bunch of cawing, and saw two or three crows doing lots of flapping and diving at something high up in a tree. It wasn't moving, and at first I though maybe some nut had put one of those fake plastic owls up in there, but then I realized it was a hawk. It was sitting very calmly while the crazy crows were all in a tither.


















I was totally fascinated. I read a book called "Owls in the Family" when I was a kid, and learned that crows can't stand owls...but they never mentioned hawks. I wonder if hawks ever eat crows?