Hi, Tweets. I'm a little slow in catching up on my e-mail, but would like
to add some obervations on crows, fresh from this morning.

I've never known crows to be particularly wary, but neither have I ever
known them to be so entertaining as the ones here in Port Townsend -- I
understand Susan Collicott's sentiments entirely. When we first moved here
there always seemed to be at least one crow hanging about our little
cottage. My husband, a non-birder, became fond of "him" and gave it a name.
Although there are actually several crows in the neighborhood, it does seem
that this one and a friend have become accustomed to our presence, know our
cars, and know we will not disturb them. They followed after us when we
watered plants or washed the cars this summer, looking for
insects/earthworms (?) in the wet grass. These days they spend hours
dropping walnuts, horsechesnuts, etc. onto the street from the wires out
front, then picking at them there or flying to a pole or roof to finish
eating.

This morning I went to use the cash machine in front of the bank downtown.
Two crows were in the middle of the street, working over a plastic grocery
bag from the Safeway a mile or so away. Deciding the trash was a little too
unsightly, I went to pick it up and stow it in the nearby garbage
container. I muttered out loud about unsuitable dietary habits before I
noticed another human was using the cash machine. One of the crows eyed me
resentfully, and a certain glimmer suggested where the bag had come from in
the first place. I shoved it down further into the can. Meanwhile the other
crow worked at a piece of wax paper still loose in the street; it began
tearing pieces of it off and actually swallowed them. That was too much for
my perception of good health (would it pass through or clog up corvid
innards?). I walked over, the crow finally gave it up when I approached
three feet away, and I stashed it, too, in the can. After refueling my
wallet I wanted to stay to see if the crows tried to retrieve their loot
from the can, but the town was waking up and I suppose the human traffic
too intimidating for them to return.

And now for the "Heads Up:" I later went to Point Wilson for a short while
to scope for birds. Two juvenile Brown Pelicans went by, headed up Sound.
For those of you monitoring bird movements on the sound, you might want to
look out for them. I know one or two others were reported in the last month
or so, but these are the first I've happened to see this far "inland."

Happy Birding1

-- Janet Hardin
Port Townsend, WA
wings at olympus.net