Crows visiting the garden

Early April 2024. The crows have returned and are at the bird bath. They bring food with them, from Fay Wong (a Chinese restaurant a block away), then leave it in the water to soften or soak, and then return later to eat. I usually avoid putting food anywhere in the garden, it has resulted in squirrels visiting and they are trouble. I go out in the morning, around 9 a.m., and the crows are waiting for me, I drop a few peanuts (unshelled) in the water and then leave, and this is when the crows swoop down and eat peanuts floating in the bird bath. Don’t get on the wrong side of crows, you’re in big trouble if you do.

Crows at the bird bath

Here is how crows eat peanuts: they hold the peanut between their feet and peck at it to break it open, then the peanut is eaten by them.

Visitors to the bird bath

 

A crow visits the bird bath

In the garden, always a visitor, or is it a resident? A crow visits the bird bath and spends some time preening and having time out from his crow's life.

Watching birds on a spring day

The main thing with a bird bath is to put in clean water everyday, no one (including birds) wants to sit in dirty or shallow water, or drink dirty water. Changing the water will take you all of three or four minutes and is worth the effort. The birds will thank you, too.

Return of the crows

Summery weather has arrived, early this year, it's been +20 - +25 C since last Friday, and I've been outside raking the grass of last winter's debris; litter, dirt, twigs, some fast food wrappings, all of it collected in the snow over the last four or five months of winter. Fresh air, blue sky, birds singing, plants coming up, buds on trees and bushes, and a feeling of renewal, and genuine renewal, and how quickly we forget what we've just been through: a long winter, short days, heating bills. One of the first things I did when this good weather arrived was put water in the bird bath and almost right away there was a crow visiting, usually in the morning. Perhaps this is the time, in the spring, when crows visit the most, not only for a drink of water but to soak their food in water, and after they leave there are peculiar white stringy things they've found in the garbage at a local Chinese restaurant. Later there will be more birds at the bird bath; however, crows are always welcome and are certainly entertaining. 

Photos taken from our dining room window with an IPhone.

Added photos

A busy day at the bird bath

I thought they'd flown south but here they are, the birds are back. It's been a mild fall so far, sunny, blue sky, great weather to go for a walk. Meanwhile, back at home, the birds are having a great time at the bird bath. Photos taken on November 8, 2022. 

This little sparrow

This little sparrow had a great time jumping around the rim of the bird bath, then he'd stop and have a drink of water. He was a happy little sparrow, now he's moved on, hanging out at someone else's bird bath or on some maple tree branch near here.

Look at the little sparrow and don't worry about anything!