young crows

Young crows are all over the place. Their constant honking calls are the background music for the day's activities along with the adults' screaming protests when they think that danger is near (for example, when an obvious Crow Murderer like myself tries to walk through the woods). The calls of the young crows are said to resemble those of the Fish Crows but I generally find them easy to tell apart. The Fish Crows, which I usually hear flying overhead, have a distinctive nasal note, usually doubled in a very recognizable rhythm (oddly enough, in these parts, Fish Crows nest upland, away from the ocean and South Shore bays to which they occasionally commute).

As to young Common Crows, there were no less than six of them in front of the house yesterday afternoon, sun-bathing, picking at insects in the grass and leaf litter, squabbling among themselves, and perhaps waiting for mom and dad to come by with something to eat. You could tell they were young birds by their behavior but also by some subtle features of their appearance, notably the dull color of the head feathers and the marked 'gape' at the base of the bill. Crows lay three to six eggs so it is conceivable that these were siblings from a single nest. Or do young crows from different families gather together in social groups? Could be. Crows are social animals and it would be logical for them to start to get socialized at an early age.

Dianne Taggart points out that my column on vireos seemed to imply that vireos don't nest on Long Island. But they are, of course, common breeders in oak and mixed woods where their songs can be heard well into the summer and into the heat of day when other birds are silent. When I wrote that I have never found them breeding 'down here', I only meant to refer to our place in East Quogue. We seem to have the right habitat so I keep hoping they will breed in our yard. Perhaps one day they will.

Eric Salzman