Tango Steinke learned she had some noisy neighbors when she moved into her townhouse in Virginia. Doc and Dottie, a couple of crows she named, had built a nest just behind her house and claimed the territory around it.
Steinke decided to befriend the crow couple in the best way she knew how.
“They’d come through randomly, and I’d throw peanuts their way,” Steinke told The Dodo. “I was already feeding the other birds and squirrels, so extending the feed to the crows just made sense.”
When winter hit, food became limited, and Doc and Dottie began to visit on a daily basis. “They wouldn’t approach me, but once I walked inside, they’d go eat the peanuts,” Steinke explained. “They got increasingly loud about their arrival throughout the course of that first month of regular visits.” On weekends, they’d caw at my bedroom window until I went up to feed them.”
The crow couple would occasionally invite their pals to the feast. Steinke also constructed a little perch for the crows on her third-story balcony.
@tangobird They couldn’t carry it all themselves #corvid #crow #crowtok #birdwatchinggoesbothways #bird #crowfriends #fyp #foryou #crowvid #crowtiktok ♬ original sound – Tango
In return for helping them through the winter, the crows decided to show their gratitude.
That’s when Steinke found a worn, grey pebble on the perch.
@tangobird Crows are amazing. #crowtiktok #corvid #crow #crowtok #birdwatchinggoesbothways #freemoney #fyp #foryou #birdtok #crowtok ♬ original sound – Tango
“I went out to feed and spotted that and hurried for my camera because I wanted to share it with everyone,” Steinke explained. “They’ve left a button, acorns, bits of metal, a beat-up marble, ceramic shards, and soda tabs since then.”
“About once a month, I’ll find anything from them in the feeder,” she continued.
But gifts weren’t the only things that Doc and Dottie brought. Last spring, a new addition arrived at feeding time — a baby crow. Now, the family of three have become more than just Steinke’s neighbors.
They’ve become friends.
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