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Showing Original Post only (View all)Crows Keep Bringing Presents To Woman Who Is Kind To Them [View all]
The fact that it really is a gift makes it precious."BY STEPHEN MESSENGER
A few years back, Melinda Green began noticing crows would occasionally drop by for a rest on her fire escape in San Francisco.
Rather than shoo the birds away, as some people might, Green decided to welcome them.
I just started putting out some food on my fire escape when I'd see them, Green told The Dodo.
Simply watching the crows was reward enough for Green but apparently, the birds decided she deserved something more.
One day, a crow arrived at Greens fire escape with an object in his mouth and placed it where she could reach it.
It was a piece of crumpled-up foil from the top of a champagne bottle one man's litter, yes, but apparently a shiny treasure in the eyes of the crow.
Hed brought it, so it would seem, as a gift for Green. And she was delighted to accept it.
I was thrilled, of course, Green said.
Green admits to being somewhat skeptical at first that the foil was actually meant for her.
But then the gifts just kept on coming.
In time, the crows brought her various items like colorful rocks, bones, nuts from shells. Once, they even brought her a gummy bear.
Green chose not to eat it, but she appreciated the gesture regardless.
The crows most recent gift to Green is a somewhat mysterious object.
Though probably just a broken-off piece of machinery, it does have an artful quality the birds must have thought Green would like.
And she did.
The fact that it really is a gift makes it precious, Green said.
Its difficult to say for certain whats inspired this outpouring of generosity, but it seems Green has endeared herself to the crows by the kindness she showed them first.
I suspect it's similar to young human crushes, she said.
By now, Green has become better acquainted with the crows than she likely ever expected. In fact, over the years she's seen them grow up to start families of their own, introducing a new generation to Green's welcoming fire escape.
"I've learned just how similar crow families and dynamics are to human families," she said. "They seem to have long-term relationships and to raise one or two children at a time in nuclear families. The parents are clearly actively teaching their children. They clearly want to show them where the nice lady lives and how to get treats from her."
Green says the experience with the crows has shown her how to "recognize and respect their personhood."
And, in the end, that may be the greatest gift of all.
https://www.thedodo.com/in-the-wild/crows-bring-gifts-to-kind-woman
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The item she has in her hand in the last photo. Is a standoff to carry a cable. Probably TV cable.
usaf-vet
Sep 2019
#42
PBS had a couple of documentaries about crows. Their intelligence surprised me.
Arkansas Granny
Sep 2019
#2
These crows use moving cars to crack nuts in a crosswalk, using the lights to let
tblue37
Sep 2019
#17
I've watched crows do that with liquidambar tree pods. A good wind comes and the street ....
Hekate
Sep 2019
#39
Our local small airport had a nesting hawk in the vines surrounding one entrance...
Hekate
Sep 2019
#65
Crows, ravens, magpies and jays are all part of the corvid family. All very smart and cable of...
brush
Sep 2019
#40
A young girl also got gifts from cross she fed. I remember reading an article about her. nt
tblue37
Sep 2019
#15
It would be wild if this turned out to be a key to a treasure chest or vault.
Uncle Joe
Sep 2019
#25
Hold on! Could it be that there's a moral to this story? Kindness promotes kindness?
Karadeniz
Sep 2019
#38
My mother and her sister had a pet crow when they were kids in the '30s.
The Velveteen Ocelot
Sep 2019
#50
Crow shifters play a major role in Anne Bishops fantasy world set out in the series The Others
bobbieinok
Sep 2019
#55
Bless these beautiful critters. Thank you for this wonderful information. n/t
Judi Lynn
Sep 2019
#59