My Favorite Bird: Crows!

Ah, the ubiquitous crow. No matter where you are (at least here in the Pacific Northwest), you can be assured that crows will be there, too.

My own fascination with crows didn’t start until I moved up here, and gradually noticed that everyone had a crow story (if not dozens of them!). Soon enough, I started collecting my own.

two crows in a blossoming cherry tree

One of the most memorable happened on a long-ago afternoon, when my now-husband came running up the stairs to our apartment thoroughly freaked out after being dive-bombed by a crow. After he calmed down, we theorized that the crow had probably been provoked by the shiny black motorcycle helmet he was wearing. Maybe she was protecting her nest and saw him as a threat? I suppose we’ll never know.

One of our friends had a crow story so intriguing that it inspired my husband to write a song. Check it out… it even features vocals from yours truly!

My interest was further piqued when I read Lyanda Lynn Haupt’s book Crow Planet: Essential Wisdom from the Urban Wilderness. She featured many incredible crow stories, including several tales of crows who left small, shiny “gifts” for the humans with whom they had bonded. I highly recommend checking her book out if you, too, are intrigued by corvids.

More recently, I’ve discovered that my house sits on a “crow highway.” During the winter hundreds of crows fly overhead everyday at dusk, making their way to the staging area where they spend the night. (In fact, the music video above features ample footage of this phenomenon!) I love looking out the back windows to see them pass by, or standing on the front porch and listening to the sound of their beating wings.

Though crows are often seen as harbingers of death, I see them rather as evidence that life finds a way, no matter the obstacles—which ties perfectly into many of the themes of When We Vanished. So, it feels quite fitting that they occupy a central place in the narrative.

Your Thoughts

How do you feel about crows? Do they creep you out, or do you find yourself drawn to them… or both? Let me know in the comments below!