Stuart Dahlquist never imagined that the new neighbors to his Seattle house would turn out to be friends.
It was immediately apparent that his new neighbors, a family of crows, preferred to stay to themselves.
According to Dahlquist, “This particular family of crows has been hovering about our house for perhaps four years.” We could hear the youngsters when the adults fed them since they had built their nest in a big Douglas pine in the front yard.
Dahlquist loved to listen to the excited chirping of the baby crows. But one day, he went outside and immediately realized something was wrong. Both chicks had fallen from their nest, and their parents were unable to help them.
“[The chicks] were almost able to fly, but instead were just running around the yard — their parents squawking,” Dahlquist said. “I caught the two of them and got them into a tree. I put some food and water underneath them in case they fell again.”
Dahlquist’s act of kindness did not go unnoticed. “The adults were really pissed off,” he said, “but seemed to begin paying more attention to us.”
Crows have the uncanny ability to recognize faces. This helps the intelligent birds remember which humans are threats and which are friends.
Dahlquist continued to leave snacks at the base of the fir tree, never expecting anything in return. But the crows decided to show their gratitude with a little gift.
“The first one was kind of confusing,” Dahlquist said. “It was sitting right in the middle of the area where I toss their food.”
“I noticed it straight away because I’m kind of sensitive about trash going where it belongs,” he added, “but the pull tab being threaded onto the sprig of fir wasn’t normal and I hung onto it.”
The next day, Dahlquist was shocked to find another twig with a soda tab in the same spot: “This is when it dawned on us that the crows were making and leaving them.”
Dahlquist, who has rehabilitated and released several injured crows in the past, had never been thanked so explicitly before.
It took Dahlquist a few days to really comprehend exactly how incredible this was. “Our birds had produced something above and beyond the presents they were leaving. It included craftsmanship.
Dahlquist’s bond with his crow neighbors has only grown since they exchanged presents.
“They’ll follow along when I take my walks, landing on the wires along the way,” Dahlquist said. “The adult male … is very amiable and will fly sometimes within a few feet, swooping by to say, ‘Here I am!’”
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