A couple of days ago I noticed an adult crow on the ground beneath the one feeder we have established at our new home. I was curious because foraging for errant seeds is not the usual behaviour for a crow. Then I noticed that it had a wonky wing which rendered it unable to fly. Since then it has returned to the feeder and the bird bath where it makes a mighty hop to get a drink. We have started to put out food for this omnivorous bird with some iffy ham slices serving as road kill. All offerings are gratefully received.
This crow has kin. It's interesting and probably unfair that the terms are a "murder of crows" and an "unkindness of ravens" to describe a clutch of them. I watched the injured bird leap laboriously up through branches of bushes and trees before it called out to its family. I heard their response in moments and then they were there, three or four surrounding the broken-winged bird. They talked back and forth for a while. I have seen them as a group in the yard.
For the longest time we humans ignored the connections of creatures other than our ilk, even claiming that God intended that only we could feel empathy or emotion of any kind. Now scientists assure us that a variety of birds and animals communicate, defend each other, support each other, mourn each other. Personally, this fits better with my understanding of the Creator. Why would God bring into being such a magnificent and complex "ark" on this planet with only one rather rebellious creature capable of a range of emotions.
What are your thoughts about this? Has your outlook changed with time?
2 comments:
I am quite certain that other creatures have feelings and souls...
I believe all creatures have feelings, one sees it most definitely in pets.
As for crows being at your feeder, the one you mention may be injured but of late we have had both crows and ravens at our feeder, seems to be late afternoon, it's like they are catching up from a day out, almost like a "happy hour"!
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