It seems like most of the time, crows are the ones doing the harassing, but this early spring morning, a blackbird decided he’d had just about enough.

It seems like most of the time, crows are the ones doing the harassing, but this early spring morning, a blackbird decided he’d had just about enough.
I’m not sure the Kansas crows know what to think about our snowy owl invasion. Fortunately, they gave up on harassing this young one.
You know I just posted this so I could type, “A murder of crows.” 🙂 Click on picture to enlarge.
As I gather photos from the past couple of weeks for an update, I realize the icy water at the lake is now probably completely frozen. This looks warm compared to what our temperatures over the next few days will be. Click on pictures to enlarge.
Along with the pelicans and cormorants, the lake is busy with coots. They are everywhere! Today, we watched hundreds move along the shore. A pelican investigated to see what was so interesting about this particular part of the bank. One brave lone coot decided to see what the crows were up to. They were eating a fish until a turkey vulture came over to claim it. They thought they would be able to trick him/her into leaving, but it didn’t work. Click on pictures to enlarge.
This air battle was very intense. No matter how much the red-tailed hawk screamed and tried to maneuver away, the crow just kept coming. Fortunately, after a lot of screaming and diving, they parted ways without any apparent injuries. I’m always amazed at how relentlessly the crows will go after raptors. I know I’ve said this before, but I imagine if a raptor routinely ate my babies, I wouldn’t miss an opportunity to cause a little grief. On the other hand, a hawk has to eat. And, of course, I am not able to separate my humanness from the experience. I would imagine their relationship is far more interesting, complex, and symbiotic than I can figure out. Click on pictures to enlarge.