Two of Ms. Montgomery’s fascinating examples of astonishing crow behavior include:
“…a Staten Island crow whose owner trained him to pick pockets; if the bird found no money, he would scream ‘Go to hell!’ and fly away.”
and the case of two orphaned crows who were rescued and adopted by retired virologist Lawrence Kilham and his wife. “The birds often played with the Kilham’s baby in its playpen, perching on the rail. The crows watched the baby play with a silver bell on a string, until the infant let the toy go. Then a crow would seize the bell, and the baby would try to get it back. The crows never so much as pecked at the infant, Kilham said, even when the baby grabbed at wings or tails. The birds, after all, likely considered themselves part of the Kilham family, and they were taking care of the Kilhams’ infant just as they would have done for nestlings among their own family.”

A “must read!”

NATURE’S EVERYDAY MYSTERIES
A field guide to the world within your backyard
By Sy Montgomery
CHAPTERS PUBLISHING LTD., SHELBURNE, VERMONT 05482
ISBN # = 0-9631591-9-4

Additionally I have my own anecdotal stories, one of which was a casual experiment I performed while living on Sugar Mountain near Banner Elk, North Carolina. My home was surrounded by heavy woods, and I enjoyed feeding and watching birds, particularly in the winter when I knew they especially needed high-fat diets to protect them from the cold. I began requesting the free beef suet that my local butcher would give me (a common ingredient in bird seed cakes manufactured for this purpose.) I would bring the suet home, cut it into little bits and put it out for my feathered friends. The 5 – 8 crows I first noticed quickly picked up on my efforts and began to spread the news. By the end of the winter I was unable to accurately count the number of crows showing up outside my bedroom window every morning, cawing in hopes of waking me up. (Yes this did become annoying.) The highest count I ultimately confirmed was more than 200. I was very popular in the crow community! — Later I noticed that they would follow me as I would drive to the grocery store, wait in the trees while I did my shopping (picking up additional beef fat for their culinary pleasure) ultimately flying over me home, expectantly waiting for me to unload my groceries and give them their treats! — They even began to follow me to my mother’s house, an approximate 5 mile drive away!

I would be delighted to discuss this subject further with anyone so inclined. Thank you!
Elizabeth Scott Watson