As I was at Chase Bank's Point Fosdick branch, waiting at the drive-up
window, I checked out the crows who often seem to be doing something
interesting in the trees and ivy nearby. Yesterday, it was
particularly hot in the afternoon and I saw a behavior that I'd read
about but never seen: "Dead Crow Sunning." An apparently lifeless
crow lying in the sun, wing and tail feathers fully spread out and
draped over the ivy like a picnic blanket. Not only that, but there
was a companion crow (I've never read about this part of the ritual)
who seemed to be on guard. The "Sentry Crow" stood in the ivy, not
five feet from his/her seemingly "dead" friend and looked suspiciously
at me. When I attempted to slow down (having completed my bank
deposit) and perhaps even take a photo with my where-is-it-when-I-need-
it camera-phone, the "Dead" began to rise awkwardly, I might even say
drunkenly... so I quickly moved on, watching in my rearview mirror as
it re-settled itself into a full-out sprawl.

Will it ever happen again there? I wonder, but I frequently witness
interesting crow behavior there including what appeared to be nesting
in the conifers above. You might want to check out the crows if you're
in the area. Look in the tall trees in the NW corner and in the ivy
bank below, in the landscaping that lines the boundary with the Point
Fosdick sidewalk.

Happy birding, as ever,
Patty Kennedy
Gig Harbor, WA

PS For those of you who wonder what I'm talking about, here's a photo
from someone who knew where the camera was (note, the bird I saw did
not have its head up, but was beak-down in the ivy):
http://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/basking-birds/

... and here's how the National Zoo describes it, though I have doubts
about the diet-related rationale. (Don't they get enough sunlight on
their feathers while they're flying in the sun?):
> "In what appears to be a display of dead crows, individuals lie on
> the ground on sunny days with wings spread wide and eyes glazed
> over, looking for all the world as if they are injured, sick, or
> dead. Upon being approached, however, they quickly rouse themselves
> and flee. The rationale for this behavior is not certain, but crow
> enthusiasts believe it is diet-related. The ?sunning? of the natural
> oils on the crows' feathers creates Vitamin D. Preening and licking
> of feathers after such sunning then provides them with this dietary
> requirement."
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/pipermail/tweeters/attachments/20120807/9e4b1295/attachment.htm