Some things you just have to show because if simply described there's no way you'd believe the sight. Ever since it began to get cold around here I've been carrying a little sack of peanuts with me whenever we take our walk in Point Pleasant Park. A mile or two along the wooded pathways we have a favorite spot where there's a bench near a rocky outcrop that overlooks the water and the south shore. Usually, well before we reach the spot, a local crow or two will have noted our presence and will start cawing to alert his friends to our arrival. I toss peanuts around the area and then we sit to watch what happens.
Generally, one crow will stay on a branch of a nearby tree while several others land to grab the nuts. For some reason there's always one among them, invariably the biggest one, who takes the first turn and picks up as many as he can find all at once. Often he'll have such a load in his beak that the last ones will fall out but he remains persistent and won't fly away with his hoard until he's sure he can hold no more. I can't tell you how hilarious it looks to see a crow looking like he has a mouthful of big yellowish teeth so I drew a picture. The other crows never seem to mind and just let him get on with his business.
Meanwhile, a little squirrel who lives nearby patiently waits his turn. Squirrels around here are the smallest I've ever seen and this one is always careful about not getting too close to the larger birds. I always save a few nuts for him just in case he misses out on the first feast. A few days ago he came all the way over to the bench where he stood up on his hind legs to ask for his share.
Life is good.
♡
What a delightful story and drawing!
ReplyDeleteLife is good when's it's good, that's for sure.
Much love and a hug,
G
Oh, Gina beat me with the very same words! It IS delightful. You are so good at drawing the wildlife, and describing it.
ReplyDeleteMay I say delightful too Susan! I would love to see the crows do that.
ReplyDeleteGood. Good. Good.
ReplyDelete[say the crows, says the squirrel, say I]
Nature is by turns both sweet and cruel. In this case, the sweet seems to dominate! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the drawing, it made me laugh and totally get your perspective on this Point Pleasant Passion Play!
gina - It was fun to draw too and a photo would have been impossible.
ReplyDeleteI should probably have qualified that statement with 'if you lower your expectations'
love to you too ♡
marja-leena - I'm glad you liked it too. I find if I can capture a couple of essentials about an animal then it doesn't matter if the drawing is a bit messy.
jams - I'd never seen anything like it before either but it happens regularly and is very funny.
sean - Thank you, say I.
cr - I'm glad you dropped by for this one. It's amazing how much fun one can get for the price of a bag of peanuts.
CR - both nature and by extension human life, can be sweet as well as cruel. You said it better than I, though that was really what meant also.
ReplyDeleteI am testing if follow-up comments are working their way into my inbox again. I have had problems with that feature lately and I'm trying to fix it through blogger help.
Yay animal kingdom! (I think all the crows are hanging up near you, smart, as I'm sure the air is at least a little bit fresher than that over our industrial pit)
ReplyDeleteI have a chipmunk here at the shop who has gotten so hooked on entitlements he will scold me like some OWS loser if I don't toss out some tidbit every day. Thinks his being cute is all it takes to get a free ride. Yeah well, M&M peanuts don't grow on trees.
ReplyDeleteDamn animals. What is their problem? They think I'm only on this planet to open cat food cans, toss milk bones, distribute granola chunks and let them lick my plate when I'm done stuffing my face with food my wife paid for.........Uh, strike that last part.
susan, thanks for reminding me! :) I do get caught sometimes to say the least....love this and I too have observed the crow phenomena with walnuts but because of size, extremely funny! I would love smaller rodents with tails.... you are smart not to do this in your back yard!
ReplyDeleteas always, I adore your creations xox♥
I didn't know that crows liked peanuts :)
ReplyDeleteYou are too so sweet and you can't convince me otherwise, posts like this prove my point!
Oh, I AM DONE WITH SCHOOL!!!!!! I am super happy right now. :) :) :)
gina - Good luck with your follow-up comments. I keep my whole blogger operation as simple as possible - like myself.
ReplyDeleterandal - Oh yes, the air is very fresh around here - especially when the winds are blowing steadily at 25mph.
mrmacrum - I bet you'd miss that chipmunk if he didn't show up every day. Your grumpiness doesn't fool him, your pets, or me either. What's a few handouts among friends?
linda - Our backyard is a parking lot and loading zone and the only birds around are pigeons. I'm never going to encourage pigeons.
It's cool that you get to see the crows eating walnuts. That must be very funny too. The only way to show this was by drawing it as I don't think there's such a thing as a crow blind for photographers. Glad you like it.
xoxo
liberality - I never knew crows liked peanuts either til now. My original idea was to take the nuts for the squirrels who are extremely tiny and cute.
Many, many congratulations on finishing school. I hope now you're even more highly qualified the library will pay you tons more money.
What a delightful drawing. The crow with the peanut teeth and the squirrel's expression tickle me.
ReplyDeleteI am definitely asking for a raise soon! And thanks :)
ReplyDeletelisa - I'm very glad you got to see it. I must admit I threw snowballs at a seagull who showed up a week or so ago. They're even bigger than the crows.
ReplyDeleteliberality - You absolutely should. Goodness knows you've earned a raise.
I used to cut up cheap hot dogs for my crow buddies and it was funny to watch them rearrange the pieces so they would fit in their beaks. Nowadays none of the hot dogs are cheap anymore, so they have to settle for bread crusts. I am scolded for it, but they take them anyway.
ReplyDeleteI see the label "Halifax diary" and think how amazing it is that you are there to witness and to enhance such happenings as these in what is now your part of the world. Can't tell you how much I loved this post, Susan. I loved that you drew the scene for us....those nuts in his mouth, the tiny squirrel waiting--knowing that you have extra just for him, ready to be your friend.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this heartwarming glimpse into your Good Life.
Each evening as i visit my dad and sit with him for a time watching his favorite tv show... the weather channel.... i watch for the weather in Halifax, and i think of you. been mild here too.... if winter could stay like this and be about half as long, i might even grow to like it. The crow with the peanut teeth!! Too funny!! Do you suppose he has a stash... or a family.... ?
ReplyDeletethe crow - I wouldn't have guessed they liked hot dogs except that I've seen them down by the shore eating crab meat and clams with the gulls. Some of them have even figured out how to drop them on rocks from a height. I'm sure the ones around your place are grateful for whatever you can share.
ReplyDeletelydia - It still seems strange to me to be here and I must admit that park is our favorite place. I do miss Powell's and my friends in Portland - too bad we met so late. I'm very glad you enjoyed the drawing and the story.
gfid - Ah, so that's what you've been up to along with everything else. Yes, our weather so far has been fairly mild and I agree I'd enjoy winter more in the circumstances you describe. It was only today I learned that crows dig holes to store their food - interesting to know they play for hard times and needy family members.
i am finally getting out a bit and laughed hysterically at your comment about the crow blind! at first i thought you meant that one would need a blind crow to get away with it and then i got your oh-so-wry-wit! ♥ :)
ReplyDeletelinda - Yes, crows are far too intelligent to be fooled by such as us but that's a good thing. They'll probably make much better rulers of earth than our species has done.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you're getting out and about again. Your visiting comments are always a delight to read.
xoxo
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