My Conversation With a Crow — Mickey Z.

Credit: Ryan Schain

Mickey Z. — World News Trust

September 15, 2021

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of World News Trust.)

My neighborhood hosts countless birds — especially pigeons, sparrows, starlings, and mourning doves. I also see (and hear) a fair amount of blue jays, robins, seagulls, and crows. Once in a while, I catch a glimpse of something more unusual, e.g. cardinals, hawks, and kestrels. 

The view from my living room window (Mickey Z.)

Lately, my block has been home to a drastic and loud increase in crows. They’re everywhere — talking up a storm. Some of their calls are sounds I’ve never heard from them before. So, I decided to ask them what’s up. The other day, I saw two vociferous crows sitting atop a building so I sent them my thoughts: “What’s going on? Why so many of you and so loud? Please include me in your conversations.” They yelled in my general direction and I moved on.

Hey, I have a way with birbs (Photo: Giles Clarke)

The next day, I was seated at my desk in my living room when I heard the loudest crow calls ever. Very slowly, I turned around to peek into my bedroom and out the bedroom window. On my fire escape was a massive crow, gazing into my apartment and cawing as if its life depended on it. I’ve lived here for over 15 years and never once has a crow visited my fire escape.

I moved cautiously to my feet, grabbed my phone, and inched closer to the bedroom doorway. I spoke to the crow aloud: “Thanks for hearing me! You can hang out here any time. Please tell me what’s going on. You can trust me.” It kept looking at me and yelling as I urged it to let me get closer but, eventually, it flew away. I got this blurry photo of my crow friend taking off:

Mickey Z. 

I heard the message as something like: “Figure it out, buddy! Do some work and look it up!” So I did. I learned that crows travel in flocks of extended family members. They talk to each other constantly and the juveniles make unusual sounds because they’re can be sorta needy and whiny. If the flock discerns an area to have ample food and water, it will move in and you *will* notice them. They vocalize often to stay in touch with each other, to warn of potential danger, and also to let other birds know there’s a new sheriff in town. Needless to say, I’m thrilled.

Until the laws are changed or the power runs out, Mickey Z. can be found here. He is also the founder of Helping Homeless Women - NYC, offering direct relief to women on New York City streets. To help him grow this project, CLICK HERE and donate right now. And please spread the word!