push yourself to notice the extraordinary in the ordinary
In some cultures, the crow is viewed as symbolic of magic. These cultures believe that the continuous squawking and calling out is to remind us that magic is around us at all times, just waiting for us to use it in our own lives.
Many people see crows as thieves and a nuisance to be done away with, just an ordinary, everyday, trouble-making crow. But spend a day with a crow and you will be in awe of the intelligence and entertained by constant humorous antics.
Today we are treated to one of my sister's wildlife stories. It's about Traveler, a Crow.
My sister, Mickie, is a licensed wildlife rehabber out in the Hills. Often when she comes to visit she brings critters with her, because there is no way she could teach anyone how to feed them while she is gone from her home. I was lucky to meet Traveler when he was young. He was kind of sick when he came to stay at my house with my sister, I think it was June 2006. I've never taken the time to discover the magic of birds. But Mickie has always loved them.
Here is what she is sharing with us today:
Traveler’s Journey Continues
It is November 10th, 2007. It has been 5 months since I have seen Traveler. I still miss him every day. His intelligence amazed me and his ability to show tenderness touched my heart. We did have a very special relationship. It was almost like the two lovers in the movie "Ladyhawke". By day she’s a hawk and he’s a human and at night she’s human and he’s a black wolf. The only time they see each other as humans is for a very short time every morning as the sun is coming up.
In February Traveler started trying to feed me. He’d fill his mouth with food and then come and stand in front of me. He’d put his beak up to my nose like he was expecting me to open my mouth and accept the food he was offering me. One day I decided to experiment. I put a Cheeto, one of his favorite snacks, in my mouth and held it up to him. He took it from my mouth. He even started sharing his precious pistachios with me. I feed the squirrels a nut and seed mixture that has pistachios in it. Traveler would pick all the pistachios out of the mixture and stash them in my flower pots on the deck. It wasn’t at all unusual to find a pile of the nuts carefully placed in a pot with maybe a leaf or a stick over them to hide them.
He also started bringing me other little gifts. Sometimes there would be a special stone placed on the deck railing when I’d get up in the morning. Sometimes he would bring the gifts to me when I was out on the deck. It might be a piece of a stick, a stone, a brightly colored piece of plastic or a piece of wood. Each time he would come to me with the item in his mouth. He’d stand in front of me and make a sound over and over like he was saying, "Here. Here. Here." I’d hold out my hand and he would place the gift in my hand.
Traveler started staying here even at night. He had a special branch up in the maple tree where he would go to bed each night. I’d look up into the tree and see his little silhouette against the sky. He’d be preening and settling in for the night. It was somehow comforting to know he was up there watching over things. Every morning he started calling at 5:45. There were 3 or 4 other crows living in a tree across the street. They’d call back and forth with Traveler. Sometimes they’d join him in the maple tree for awhile. But he never went off with them. He always stayed here with me. Sometimes he’d look at me like he just couldn’t understand why I couldn’t go with him.
Traveler started showing me great affection. He enjoyed sitting behind me and playing with my hair. He was fascinated with the combs I use to hold my hair back and would often remove them. The greatest act of tenderness he showed me was when he would preen my eyelashes. He was so careful and gentle and it made me feel like he was saying, "I love you Mickie". This tender act touched my heart deeply.
But I always knew that one day he would figure out that he was a crow and I am a human. I remember that day vividly. It was June 11th, 2007. Traveler started calling at his normal time and the crows across the street answered him. They went on and on calling back and forth. They were particularly noisy. Finally, one of the crows joined Traveler in the maple tree. They continued their squawking. I had to leave for work and as I was walking across the backyard to my car Traveler came and perched on one of the lower branches of the tree. He started squawking and squawking at me. I said, "I have to go to work. I’ll see you for lunch." At lunch time Traveler wasn’t there but I didn’t think that much of it. He wasn’t there for supper either and I started to wonder what happened. The next morning he wasn’t up in the maple tree. Plus---the crows from across the street were gone as well. So, this is what I believe. I believe the crows from across the street kept yelling at Traveler that morning. I think they were getting ready to go and were saying, "Come on, we have to go!!" I believe Traveler was yelling back, "Just a little bit longer. I have to tell her good-bye!!" And when he was squawking at me that morning I think he was saying good-bye.
For the last two weeks now there have been two crows that come and sit in the maple tree. One of them is especially vocal and seems to be telling some lengthy stories. They never come down to me on the deck. But they will sit up there and listen to me when I talk to them. I tell myself that the noisy one is Traveler and he is telling his friend all about the days when he lived here. I imagine him coming down and sitting with me on the deck. He will begin to preen my eyelashes and I will start to cry. He’ll catch the tears with his beak as they run down my face. It’s as if he’s wiping them away and saying, "Don’t cry. I came back. I’m okay."
Here is Mick's introduction to Traveler, written while he was still with her.
Life According to Traveler
Take flight on Traveler's Journey
I have to say that I am fascinated by crows. They are one of my favorite birds. So when Traveler entered my life in June, 2006, it was a very good day. He was found on the ground after falling from the nest. He had long, clumsy legs that couldn’t yet support the weight of his growing body.
About a week after receiving the baby crow, I traveled to the eastern part of the state for my grandmother’s birthday. Since the crow was a rather high-maintenance baby requiring frequent feedings and clean-ups, he made the trip with me instead of staying home and having someone else care for him. I made the comment to him that he was a very good traveler and that’s how he got his name.
I wasn’t sure that I was supposed to have him in the motel room with me and because he was a rather vocal youngster I frequently had to tell him to be quiet. He was just learning to perch so I’d place him on the back of a chair in front of the television and let him watch Emeril. He seemed to really enjoy the cooking channel.
Crows stay with their parents for a long time, sometimes for up to a year, so I was prepared to have this baby for several months at least. Other baby birds grew up and left home. Baby bunnies, baby squirrels, the fawns—everyone grew up and started life on their own. But there was always my Traveler.
Fall arrived and I started letting Traveler out of his big cage to wander around in the yard. He always returned to the cage before dark. Finally one day he flew off. I was filled with mixed emotions. I was happy that he was exploring his world but I was going to miss his company and his "help" as I did things around the yard.
The following morning, just as it was getting light out, I heard a familiar squawking and I knew he was home. I was so happy that he’d returned. I jumped out of bed and went out on the deck and there he was, up in the big old maple tree. He has been here every morning since.
I fill his food dish every morning and put it out on the deck. On weekends, in addition to his regular dish of food, we have scrambled eggs, which he loves. Sometimes we have toast with cherry preserves or blueberry Pop Tarts. Some days we share a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch. He stays all day and then disappears just before dark. I don’t know where he goes and I never see him leave. It’s as if he chooses a moment when I’m in the house to make his exit.
Traveler has a special friendship with my dog, Abby. They spend time out on the deck together. Sometimes he’ll clean out the bits of grass and leaves that collect in the long hairs on her toes.
He also enjoys spending time with my ducks. I think he thought he was a duck until the day he either jumped in or fell in their pool. Now when the ducks are swimming and splashing in their pool he just sits on the edge and bathes in the water they splash instead of going in the pool himself.
I was thrilled that Traveler was coming back every day. Every morning I wake up and hear his voice. It’s as if he’s saying, "Good morning, Mickie. Here I am. Time to get up!"
But what’s even more amazing is that now he is bringing a friend. And this friend will eat from my hand, too. Obviously there has been some communication between the two crows. Otherwise how would this newcomer have known that it could trust me? Why would it have accepted food from my hand without the slightest bit of hesitation the very first time I attempted to feed it? I marveled at the trust this wild bird had in me. I’ve named the new crow "Moocher".
Are they mates? I don’t know. I don’t think they choose mates at this young age. Sometimes I see them flying above me in unison like an Olympic event—Synchronized Soaring. It is so beautiful to watch. Like MAGIC. As I watch them in their joy, my eyes get all watery. I blame it on the cold wind.
I know there will come a time when they will not be here to greet the morning with me and I will, again, have mixed emotions. I will miss them greatly. But, I’ll be happy for them, knowing they’re enjoying a life that they should have and knowing that I did a good job of raising my Traveler.
Traveler has taught me little tidbits of wisdom and hopefully you too have enjoyed our travels and everyday "push yourself to notice the extraordinary in the ordinary."
