On Thu, 27 Jun 1996, Susan L. Collicott wrote:

>
(The last adult shoved so hard that the young crow fell off the line!)
>

How funny! I love to watch the adults teaching their young (who doesn't?)
the ways of our yard. Because we have ducks there are several "feeding
stations" the crows have chosen. The parents lead the fledglings around
showing it the food source in each area...eggs here, corn there, water
troughs...it's great! They are incredibly intelligent birds.

> Do crows stay in family groups?

I think they do for the course of the summer. I've seen the small groups
stay together into fall and then join a larger group for winter, pairing
up again in spring. I have also noted that once they've established a
territory around a good feed source they will attempt to argue with any
crow not a member of their group (what is a crow mob called?) and the
groups in winter here in Veneta tend to number seven or less.

Ben and I have speculated the smaller groups and defensive posturing may
be due to less available food in the country. Any ideas?

Peggi