How perfect that this post should come from you! I have always loved the SW magic aspects of your work and this year has been a Raven year for me. If you haven't read his work, you need to look into Charles deLint - he's listed as 'urban fantasy' (I hate genre labels) and writes about Celtic and Native American shapeshifters, many of whom are artists and musicians during the day :)
One book is just a collection of stories about the Crow Girls (requested by readers who loved them). Once you've read his work, you can't look at crows the same again.
We have hummingbird feeders for about 6 months of the year. I LOVE watching them! We don't have a lot of birds in our neighborhood but I love watching the ones we do have. For me, there is nothing better than listening to birds sing or watch them frolic around the neighborhood. (I would love watching those angry waves!)
There are a lot of hummingbirds in the ravine here, and they visit my penstemon on the balcony, but the blue jays and Steller’s jays, and they prey on hummingbirds, so I don’t want to lure them into a dangerous place. I do love watching a big tree full of finches chattering and hopping. And, oh my yes, the waves are so great. We have king tides this week and it’s been wild and beautiful.
I know it's how nature works but how sad the hummingbirds are under attack! We have finches here as well. A lot of the birds we have in the spring, summer and early fall have already migrated so it's pretty quiet now.
I want to make friends with crows. I have a lot every year around my house but I haven’t really got a place to put food out that would be just for them. I’m afraid the squirrels would get it all. I can’t afford to feed both species! But I do love the crows. I love listening to them so much.
I don’t think you have to get fancy. Just start talking to them. If you see one while you’re out, toss them some unsalted peanuts. But really, just talk to them. Let us know how it goes!
I love this so much... I can just picture you, and Ms.Crow hopping along nearby as you chat with her. They are sooo damn smart. So true too about getting out there and talking them which I do every day.. it lifts my spirits immensely. I love birds and have written a number of posts about my connection with them... (recent one was about rescuing a hummingbird if you'd like to read it on my Stack.)
I watched birds all the time, but I let mother nature feed them so they are never dependent on me for food. We had a bunch of acorns this year so some will have that to eat.
I had one experience with crows that I will never forget. I don't know if they were migrating or gathering but there must have been hundreds of them flying somewhere. It took at least a half hour for all the birds to fly by. I haven't seen anything like it since. I felt privileged to have seen it.
One of the still good things about living in Colorado!
I, also, have conversations with ravens and crows. They are such smart and funny birds. Never had the wonderful experience that you had of walking with one. Lucky you!
I like the little birds that come to my backyard, so I cast small seeds on the ground for them (finches, tits, etc.). It's finally getting cold enough that the juncos are returning--they're a favorite of mine. Small birds have a hard time finding food in cold weather, and they need to eat a lot several times a day, because of their size and metabolisms. I have never had much success with feeders, so I simply cast several types of seed on the stones and grass, and watch. (Note: finches prefer to eat their food from the ground and not a feeder, or so I've read.)
So pleased that you have discovered the joy of crows. Ravens are also quite personable. Enjoy!
I used to see ravens more in Colorado. I haven’t seen many here.
I just returned home from a 2-month crosscountry road trip (with dog) and ravens popped up in a majority of my photos!
How perfect that this post should come from you! I have always loved the SW magic aspects of your work and this year has been a Raven year for me. If you haven't read his work, you need to look into Charles deLint - he's listed as 'urban fantasy' (I hate genre labels) and writes about Celtic and Native American shapeshifters, many of whom are artists and musicians during the day :)
One book is just a collection of stories about the Crow Girls (requested by readers who loved them). Once you've read his work, you can't look at crows the same again.
I do love Charles de Lint. I haven’t read Crow Girls, and now will add it to my list.
Kelly, Just downloaded Crow Girls from my library. Can't wait to read it. Thanks again.
Ell
Haven't read deLint in years. Thanks for the tip re: Crow Girls.
We have hummingbird feeders for about 6 months of the year. I LOVE watching them! We don't have a lot of birds in our neighborhood but I love watching the ones we do have. For me, there is nothing better than listening to birds sing or watch them frolic around the neighborhood. (I would love watching those angry waves!)
There are a lot of hummingbirds in the ravine here, and they visit my penstemon on the balcony, but the blue jays and Steller’s jays, and they prey on hummingbirds, so I don’t want to lure them into a dangerous place. I do love watching a big tree full of finches chattering and hopping. And, oh my yes, the waves are so great. We have king tides this week and it’s been wild and beautiful.
I know it's how nature works but how sad the hummingbirds are under attack! We have finches here as well. A lot of the birds we have in the spring, summer and early fall have already migrated so it's pretty quiet now.
I want to make friends with crows. I have a lot every year around my house but I haven’t really got a place to put food out that would be just for them. I’m afraid the squirrels would get it all. I can’t afford to feed both species! But I do love the crows. I love listening to them so much.
I don’t think you have to get fancy. Just start talking to them. If you see one while you’re out, toss them some unsalted peanuts. But really, just talk to them. Let us know how it goes!
I love this so much... I can just picture you, and Ms.Crow hopping along nearby as you chat with her. They are sooo damn smart. So true too about getting out there and talking them which I do every day.. it lifts my spirits immensely. I love birds and have written a number of posts about my connection with them... (recent one was about rescuing a hummingbird if you'd like to read it on my Stack.)
Birds lift my spirits, too. I’ll check out the post!
This warms my heart! I'm a lover of the seaside who is immensely fond of crows.
I watched birds all the time, but I let mother nature feed them so they are never dependent on me for food. We had a bunch of acorns this year so some will have that to eat.
I had one experience with crows that I will never forget. I don't know if they were migrating or gathering but there must have been hundreds of them flying somewhere. It took at least a half hour for all the birds to fly by. I haven't seen anything like it since. I felt privileged to have seen it.
That sounds thrilling! And it’s wise to let Mother Nature do what she does.
Crows are very intelligent. They remember who is kind to them—but also who their enemies are.
One of the still good things about living in Colorado!
I, also, have conversations with ravens and crows. They are such smart and funny birds. Never had the wonderful experience that you had of walking with one. Lucky you!
I like the little birds that come to my backyard, so I cast small seeds on the ground for them (finches, tits, etc.). It's finally getting cold enough that the juncos are returning--they're a favorite of mine. Small birds have a hard time finding food in cold weather, and they need to eat a lot several times a day, because of their size and metabolisms. I have never had much success with feeders, so I simply cast several types of seed on the stones and grass, and watch. (Note: finches prefer to eat their food from the ground and not a feeder, or so I've read.)
I do think having one of the feeders with a camera would be great fun.