THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 13, 1996 TAG: 9603120127
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Coastal Journal
SOURCE: Mary Reid Barrow
LENGTH: Medium: 94 lines
The common crow is not a bird we think of when in spring the birds' thoughts turn to love.
But just like wrens, robins, cardinals and other little songbirds, the crows nest, too, some of them right in Arnie Eggen's Thoroughgood yard, or maybe in your back yard and you just don't know it.
Seems Eggen discovered he had had a crow family in his yard last summer when he found a crow's nest on the ground after a storm.
The nest was about 3 feet across and 15 inches deep. Made entirely of branches and twigs, it was lined with rabbit fur and pine needles. Eggen's nest appears to be a classic crow's nest, according to the Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds. The nests are always well built from branches and twigs, the book says. Crows line their nests with just about anything, from moss to twine, from rags to wool.
``I have shown it to so many people and they say they have never seen a crow's nest,'' Eggen said.
It's no wonder. Although crows can build nests most anywhere, they prefer tall trees, which would make the nests impossible to see in a leafy canopy. Some nests can be as high as 100 feet which is bound to be why the lookout platform near the top of a ship's tall mast is called a ``crow's nest.''
Fairly early nesters, the crows are busy right now setting up housekeeping, Eggen said. Dogwood trees provide the nest-construction material of choice, it seems.
``They are in the tip area of the dogwood, as many as three at a time, tugging and breaking twigs,'' he said. ``They will get two or three in their mouths at once before they fly away and then they come back and do the same thing all over again.''
Eggen can't tell where the nest is. This year, the birds appear to be flying to the lot next door, he said.
The crows don't feed on seed in Eggen's bird feeder but they do eat bread crumbs which he also throws out for the birds. On these bitter cold weekends, the crows did feed on the sunflower seeds that were on the ground under my feeder, a first for me.
Actually crows will eat most anything, from scavenging for garbage and dead animals to pilfering grain crops, mostly in the fall. And the big birds are ecologically important for the insect pests that they consume.
The scientific name for the common crow is Corvus brachyrhynchos.
Corvus is Latin for raven and brachyrhynchos is Greek for ``short beak.'' In this case, the crow is a short-beaked raven.
The only time I've seen a real raven was in mountainous country out West where the big black birds soar beautifully and hover on updrafts. Much larger than crows, ravens are seen occasionally in the Appalachian Mountains here in the East.
We also have fish crows right in this area, but I'm not sure I've seen them either. A bit smaller and more slender than our common crow, fish crows frequent mainly marshes and beaches. They feed on everything from fiddler crabs and shrimp to minnows they snag from the water with their claws.
Blue jays, magpies and other noisy raucous birds are also part of the crow family, considered to be the smartest family of birds. They have amazing memories. Captive crows have been known to be able to count up to four. They also have the ability to solve puzzles.
Tame crows can learn to mimic their owners' voices and wild crows are known to have a language of their own, noted the Audubon Encyclopedia.
Eggen is sorry that crows have begun to nest in Thoroughgood, because he is afraid they will maraud the nests of smaller songbirds. ``I hate to see them come,'' he said. ``We have so many hatchlings in the area.''
Smart enough to know that Eggen and other good residents out there probably won't harm them, the Thoroughgood crows are living up to their reputation for intelligence. Besides where else would they get free bread handouts?
P.S. Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge will hold a spring clean-up from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. More volunteers are needed to help refuge volunteers and members of the Tidewater Appalachian Trail and Chesapeake Bay Sierra clubs, the Virginia Beach Audubon Society and the Sandbridge Civic League. Call 721-2412 if you are willing to help. The refuge will supply grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and soft drinks for lunch.
SHAMROCK TEAS will take place at 2 and 3:30 p.m. Sunday at the Hunter House Victorian Museum in Norfolk. Admission is $5 which includes a tour of the house. Reservations must be made by calling 623-9814. MEMO: What unusual nature have you seen this week? And what do you know about
Tidewater traditions and lore? Call me on INFOLINE, 640-5555. Enter
category 2290. Or, send a computer message to my Internet address:
mbarrow(AT)infi.net.
ILLUSTRATION: Arnie Eggen discovered he had had a crow family in his yard last
summer when he found a crow's nest - 3 feet across and 15 inches
deep - under an oak tree after a storm. Made entirely of branches
and twigs, it was lined with rabbit fur and pine needles.
Photo by
BOB STIFFLER
by CNB