By PAUL BASHAM
For the Insider
In their book, “In the Company of Crows and Ravens,” John Marzluff and Tony Angell note that some words have their origin in the sounds of nature. For example, they mention that most of the names given to crows in different languages on five continents all include the “k” or “c” consonant which vocalizes the cawing cry of crows. We can hear the power of the crow's voice resonating in its name.
Crows are common noisy birds with a shady reputation that are dominant characters in avian society. Their black plumage serves them well by increasing their stealth. They have a fondness for bird's eggs and nestlings. You may have seen song birds chasing after a crow that has evidently raided their nest. While on the ground, crows seem to have a lordly air as they strut and hop around. Noted for their intelligence, they know just how far to stay off the road away from the speeding wheels of traffic as they devour our road kills and garbage.
When a flock of crows orchestrate a loud commotion of cawing in a hysterical pitch, you may find that an owl or a red tailed hawk is at the center of their mob aggression. This uproar is meant to confuse and torment the predators they love to hate. Crows also participate in communal roosting, sometimes in the thousands. Before they settle down for the night in treetops they can disturb the peace of their human neighbors with the endless chatter of crow gossip. This boisterous pandemonium is enough for some people to call the crow exterminators.
As vigilantes, crows give warning calls, alerting the entire wildlife kingdom that a hunter is on the prowl in the area. They have been recorded giving over 200 different kinds of calls. They can also mimic other sounds they hear. Years ago I had a cousin who taught a crow in his neighborhood to clearly say “Hello.”
Crows love to stash away shiny or unusual objects and have created mischief on the golf course by stealing golf balls. In “Following the Equator,” Mark Twain seems to have had fun in describing the crow as a “gambler, comedian, priest, black guard, scaffer, liar, thief, spy, informer, politician, swindler, hypocrite, reformer, lecturer, lawyer, conspirator, rebel, meddler, intruder, busy body and waller in sin for the mere love of it.”
I stopped in at Osborne's Agway Farm and Garden Center in Concord and talked about scarecrows with the owner, Tom Osborne. Most gardeners find that if the scarecrow does not move, crows get used to seeing it and will quickly disregard it. The crows loudly proclaim, “Caw Caw, Ha Ha, You Don't Scare Us.” When we say the word “crows” we echo their cawing, which is a prominent sound in nature.
