Showing posts with label murder of crows. Show all posts
Showing posts with label murder of crows. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

Murdering cat food

The cat wants her cat food fresh and unbroken. She leaves her dish half full of bitten pieces; inedible, she says, how do I dare expect her to eat that stuff? I bagged some up and put it in the car; it's supposed to be healthy food, right? I saw one crow and emptied the bag out the car window. This is what happened next.

The beginnings of a murder of crows.

How do they gather so quickly? I had seen only one, but the second arrived a few seconds after the first. And within minutes there were several dozen.

Looking both ways before crossing the street?

Defending his find.

So, I tell my cat, that food was perfectly edible! Will she stop being so fussy? No.

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La gatita exige que su comida sea nueva y sin mordidas. Deja su plato cuando está todavía media llena, pero de pedazos. —Totalmente incomestible — me dice —¿Cómo te atreves a servirme tales desperdicios?

En vez de tirarla, pues es buen alimento, ¿no? aunque esté en pedazos, vertí el contenido de un plato en una bolsa y la dejé en el coche. Cuando ví un cuervo, vacié la bolsa en el suelo. Y esto es lo que pasó.

Primera foto: los cuervos empiezan a congregar.

¿Cómo es que los cuervos se comunican tan rapidamente? No había visto más que uno, pero el segundo llegó apenas momentos después del primero. Y dentro de pocos minutos había varias docenas de cuervos.

—Pues, verás, —le digo a la gatita —¡esa comida estaba perfectamente bien! —¿Y por lo tanto, ella dejará de ser tan quisquillosa? No.

Nota: en inglés, una bandada de cuervos se llama un asesinato, "a murder".


Wednesday, March 01, 2017

Groupies and a murder

This flock of buffleheads was fishing in the Baikie Island lagoon. I took several photos, from different vantage points; in each one, almost all of the females were following along in the wake of the lone male.

Popular guy.

And overhead, there was a minor murder.

About one tenth of the murder, heading west for the evening. As they do.

These were crows; even if I hadn't seen them, their voices were clear. "Caw, caw, caw, caw!" But in the photo, with the afternoon sunlight shining sideways on them, they gleam, so that they look partly white.

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