Furious Bird of the Calm Storm
There is a small area in our local park where the early morning rituals of birds, people, and squirrels intersect. This area is home to a large Bradford pear tree that attracts flocks of robins this time of year. The robins attract the attention of sharp-shinned hawks. A small playground attracts people. This is where early morning dog walkers throw out peanuts for the squirrels. People are out walking, squirrels are eating peanuts, crows are chasing squirrels and eating peanuts, and a sharp-shinned hawk is chasing crows who turn around and chase the hawk. The hawk wants to hunt the robins but needs to clear out the crows first. The problem is crows love peanuts. These mixed motivations create a captivating scene for those with eyes to see.
The mobbing behavior of crows is one of the most conspicuous elements of this place. They gather into a large flock and mob any type of hawk with varying levels of intensity. It is fascinating to watch.
Mobbing is a calculated risk that is favored by natural selection. The mobbing crows benefit when predators are harassed and distracted. Usually, when a hawk realizes they have lost the element of surprise, they will move on to find a less disturbing place to hunt. In this instance, the robins are concentrated near the pear tree, and the sharp-shinned hawk is willing to tolerate being mobbed.
Species that mob live longer than species that do not mob, and crows may learn something about the behavior of predators through their mobbing interactions. They can also assess each individual crow’s daring and behavior. Crows may ultimately gain social status and future mates by demonstrating their flight skills and bravado.
For two days last week, I observed extended periods of mobbing and chasing between a feisty, sharp-shinned hawk and large flocks of crows. The crows typically perch above the hawk and call loudly. Some individual crows will dive down near the hawk, who is hyper-alert, constantly scanning for crows. Unlike the larger Cooper's hawk, sharp-shinned hawks are not big enough to kill crows, but they can injure them.
This particular hawk frequently engaged in spectacular acrobatic aerial chases with the crows. He would sit and scan and pick out one crow perched nearby and then take off at high speed and rapidly close the gap on the crow. The crow would flee and make a loud growling sound when the hawk came within a few feet of him. At this point, the crow and the hawk would twist and turn as they flew through and around tree canopies. The chase typically ended with both birds perched in a tree within a few feet of each other, where they would sit and casually look around as if nothing had just happened.
One of the high-speed chases buzzed the playground with the hawk in hot pursuit of a crow. A woman was sitting on a bench near the playground when this was happening. The birds flew ten feet over her head, making a loud ruckus as they circled her. She never looked up. Her eyes were focused on the little glowing screen in her hand. I was surprised. I felt the urge to call out to her, "Pardon me, have you noticed the beautiful birds? The universe is calling you."
Our screens are gaslighting us. Reclaim sanity by letting your gaze rest in nature.
I am working to reduce my screen time, partly due to issues with eye strain and partly due to what I learned from listening to the Body Electric podcasts on the TED radio hour. They detailed what happens to our bodies on screens. It is not good! There is now a worldwide epidemic of myopia or nearsightedness from too much screen time. Kids' eyes are changing shape, becoming elongated instead of round.
Young people are also losing balance, coordination, and the ability to interact with the natural world. A friend of mine, an expert in outdoor play, recently shared several startling stories with me. He said that if you give a group of 20 young kids a shovel and ask them to dig a hole in the ground, half of them will fall over when they put one foot onto the shovel head. He also told me that when he attends physical education conferences, the teachers are currently debating whether it is safe for kids to play catch with a football. He said kids have lost the ability to judge the speed and trajectory of a ball and that pointy footballs have become too dangerous.
I can still catch a ball and dig a hole, but I am adjusting my writing routine to minimize my screen time. I now capture my thoughts by dictating into Google Notes on my phone and writing my first draft in a notebook. I read it aloud to transfer it to Google Notes via dictation, and I email myself the notes and transfer them to Google Docs, where I do the initial editing before printing it out and editing on paper. I incorporate these edits into Google Docs before uploading to Substack, where I add photos and make final edits. This process entails 1/3 of the screen time compared to my original process.
Spending less time on screens can open up new opportunities. One of the new initiatives I am working on for our local Audubon chapter is to raise awareness around the fact that everyone is or can be a birdwatcher. We want to broaden the scope of birdwatching to make it more accessible to people. We are letting people know that you do not need binoculars or the ability to identify birds. You can just watch them any way you want. Appreciating common birds can make you happy. Who can be disappointed if you ask for what you have?
Crows are an ideal bird for this project. They are everywhere, and they get to know you and will give you gifts. Crows can recognize individual people and remember who they are. They can make you feel seen.
Crows live in a polite society full of rituals, love, tenderness, elegance, curiosity, and grace. Most people tend to miss the subtle, tender moments and focus on the boisterous and aggressive behaviors. Breaking free from the trance of screens, slowing down, focusing, and tuning into crows can show us a better way to be in the world. Crows aren't villains. They are role models.
At a deep level, we are crows, and crows are us. If we vilify them, we are vilifying ourselves. It is much better, especially in times like these, to choose to be grateful during our short lives and to put positive energy out in the world and watch it take flight on the wings of a crow and reverberate without end.
I am the Pablo bird,
bird of a single feather
a flyer in the clear shadow
and obscure clarity
my wings are unseen
my ears resound
when I walk among the trees
or beneath the tombstones
like an unlucky umbrella
or a naked sword
stretched like a bow
Or round like a grape,
I fly on and on, not knowing
wounded in the dark night
who is waiting for me
who does not want my song,
who desires my death
who will not know I'm arriving
and will not come to subdue me
to bleed me, to twist me
or to kiss my clothes,
torn by the shrieking wind
That's why I come and go
fly and don't fly but sing:
I am the furious bird
of the calm storm.
Pablo Neruda
Resources
For a funny, profound, and beautiful conversation on spirituality, see comedian Pete Holmes on the Rich Roll podcast.
Books to read to learn more about crows and ravens. Mind of a Raven, Corvus, Gifts of the Crow, and In the Company of Crows and Ravens.
I am so happy I found this Substack! My wife and I love all birds and our backyard has become "Backyard Bird National Park". Great events at BBNP included the "Morning of a Billion Birds" (ok, admittedly a bit of an exaggeration) and "Bushtits Everywhere!!" (not an exaggeration.). We love crows and know their ways to some degree. When we had the Heat Anomaly here in PDX two years ago amidst a long running drought, the crows were suffering and would let us spray them with misted water to cool off. Pretty trusting and practical on their part!
My sister just told me about a story she read. A man had helped an injured crow then set him free again when it was healed. One day the man noticed something shiny on his porch. It was a diamond ring. That crow started bringing him any shiny thing it could find which included diamonds!