Showing posts with label Ned. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ned. Show all posts

Friday, June 24, 2011

Help Name the Baby Crows

Update: There is now just one baby crow remaining out of the three, and he has been named Ned. I learned from watching the PBS video, A Murder of Crows, that the attrition rate of baby crows is very high, probably typical of most birds. In their study, only one out of the original eight youngsters made it to the end of the study, which was only a few months long. Anyway, we're enjoying watching and listening to Ned.

Original Story:
As you know, Bertram and Corvina have three youngsters now. To write stories about them, I need to know what their names are. Lucy, a young friend and fellow crow watcher, has kindly provided six ideas. Please help narrow these choices down by picking your three favorites in the poll on the upper-right part of this page.


Thursday, June 23, 2011

New Kids on the Block

Last week I spent a day digging out the rockery in front of our house, all the while serenaded by the loud squawks of one or more of Bertram and Corvina's babies. Yes, the long-awaited time had finally arrived, heralded by lots and lots of noise.

Once baby crows get big enough, they leave the nest and start walking around on the tree branches, flapping their wings to strengthen them. Looking down from a height and not yet being able to fly must make them feel very insecure, and they let the world hear about it in a manner impossible to ignore. If you're not sure what a young crow sounds like, just imagine an exceptionally loud and obnoxious "crying" babydoll.  
  
WHAAya. WHAAya. WHAAya. WHAAya. WHAAya. WHAAya. (Repeat indefinitely)

One of Bertram and Corvina's kids.