Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

How to Befriend Crows

fediscience.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

61–70 of 229 posts

Re: How to Befriend Crows

#61

Post by eyelidlessness »

082349872349872 wrote: post #28
prox wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My amateur theory is that talking makes you less likely to be a predator. You basically say “here I am”, Predators tend to be quiet and sneak up on their prey. I think the tone does indeed help somewhat in my experience.

I have an amateur theory that strange wildlife, unlike strange people, are made much more comfortable by avoiding eye contact. Parent comment would explain this observation: predators gaze upon their prey. (flipping the arrows around, I've seen the advice to dance tango, not so much with "snappiness" as is popularly supposed, but in a predatory manner: slow stalking, interspersed with rapid pounces)

This is definitely true for dogs/canids, eye contact is a signal of dominance and/or aggression. It’s common advice to soften your glance if you’re approaching an unfamiliar or potentially aggressive dog. It’s also helpful to make more direct eye contact when establishing you’re in charge when training them.

I’ve also noticed with many birds that they prefer indirect attention. This includes not just eye contact, but pointing a camera (or really anything) in their direction. Which unfortunately means I have very little photographic evidence of the many times I’ve had birds just hanging around being pleasant companions for a while.

Re: How to Befriend Crows

#62

Post by geocrasher »

Cupertino95014 wrote: post #48
baeaz wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was under the impression that, like chicken, cows became less edible as time passed?

I don't think his comment meant "edibility rises linearly with age." I think it meant "it reaches a peak" and implicitly "and then declines from there."

Exactly.

Re: How to Befriend Crows

#63

Post by sound1 »

tasty_freeze wrote: post #10

My wife set up a bird feeder on our floor to ceiling glass windows in our living room -- it is a plexiglass module with suction cups. It was nice seeing the birds, but it was really entertaining watching the squirrels trying to get the food. At first she tried to thwart the them, but in no time started recognizing the squirrels as individuals and noticing their personality and behavioral differences, and gave them na…

Loved it! Hope she gets better soon bro!

Re: How to Befriend Crows

#64

Post by philwelch »

mulmen wrote: post #39

Why though? There are dozens of crows in my neighborhood. If I befriend crows will they come to expect food from me? What about the pigeons and seagulls? Will they come to resent me? My policy on neighborhood birds has always been neutrality.

You can eventually train crows to bring you stuff. I’ve read stories of crows being trained to deliver money or cigarettes. My favorite was a guy who used to hang out with crows on his balcony when he smoked, and he had to move when he quit smoking because the crows would just bring him packs of cigarettes.

Re: How to Befriend Crows

#65

Post by asdf123wtf »

11235813213455 wrote: post #43

All strategies here are about food, I don't think feeding any kind of wild animals is good

Yea, generally when people feed animals it is harmful to the animal or potentially dangerous for humans in a variety of ways or you turn the animals into pests.

Is there something special about crows where these things aren't so much a factor?

Re: How to Befriend Crows

#66

Post by osrec »

Interesting. Also, Mastodon threads seem to be much easier to follow that Twitter... Twitter feels like a confusing mess of replies in any order. I could be wrong, but this felt much more ordered, and therefore made more sense to me.

Edit: also faster.

Re: How to Befriend Crows

#69

Post by visitect »

My wife and I have successfully befriended the crows that inhabit my neighborhood. When we first moved into our home a few years ago, I would leave various nuts - and sometimes bits of unfinished bacon - on the back fence when I would see them perched on the neighbor's (tall) home. I would make a clicking noise with my tongue and call out to them in a friendly voice. Then I would retreat to the house and watch from the windows. It didn't take very long at all for them to learn this routine. After a few weeks, as soon as I would "click" one would swoop down from the high perch and land on a nearby post and wait for me to leave the treats. Another would keep watch.

Now it feels like we are old friends. If they happen to be around when we pop out of the house, one will vocalize and come near. Others show up soon after. My wife chats with them and leaves various snacks. They really love peanut butter sandwiches! I kid my wife about how much she spoils the crows with the peanut butter, but she just laughs about her "extra shiny" crows.

Re: How to Befriend Crows

#70

Post by kstenerud »

tasty_freeze wrote: post #10

My wife set up a bird feeder on our floor to ceiling glass windows in our living room -- it is a plexiglass module with suction cups. It was nice seeing the birds, but it was really entertaining watching the squirrels trying to get the food. At first she tried to thwart the them, but in no time started recognizing the squirrels as individuals and noticing their personality and behavioral differences, and gave them na…

Reminds me of the Twirl-A-Squirrel bird feeder. It usually works, but sometimes there are some VERY tenacious squirrels!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgDa_cpgHWs

Post reply on HN