To be scared that I’m still marked by the crows?

[ChoccyOrangeYum]

A couple of years ago I walked the dog on a local field. I know nothing about birds but I was later told it was their breeding season.

Anyway we must have got too close to their nests as they suddenly started flying around irrationally, making a hell of a racket screaming etc and then started dive bombing the dog. The dog thought this was fun so started chasing the crows. All hell broke loose basically and we were suddenly surrounded by crows going mental. We made a quick exit!!

I left it a few days then took the dog back on the field but after speaking to locals about the crows I stayed away from the back of the field (where they’re breeding) and kept dog in lead. As soon as we stepped on the field the noise started up again and the crows appeared and started dive bombing again! There was someone else on the field with a dog who the crows were totally ignoring!

We left and after a bit of research I found that crows remember faces and don’t forgive easily 😬 so we didn’t go back on.

A whole year later we went back on assuming the old crows won’t be there anymore but we were on there 5 minutes before it all started again. These birds are not bothering anyone else on the field, just me!!

Anyway my neighbour has suggested we go for a walk in the field tomorrow morning but I’m shit scared of the birds. Will they still go for me if I don’t have the dog?! Will they ever move on from the incident 2 years ago or am I banned from the field for life?!

Behind a paywall for me unfortunately

Or fortunately, since I think I'll have nightmares!!!

Just shoot the f*ckrs.

Don't! They will remember for ever.

I've been feeding birds for a good while now, think some crows visit from back fields. Definitely some magpies

Assume I'm marked as good?

Awww man... I did not know this.. I am also doomed 🙈🙈🙈 There was an injured crow in the bushes in the churchyard that my dog found... I tried to get it out and was suddenly swarmed by crows divebombing me... Grabbed hold of my hair and everything scratching my scalp... I did go back a few days later and they seemed to get noisier and move into a big group... I did turn away.
I have been back since but not really noticed any crows for a bit... But now I'm thinking when it's spring I'd better give it a wide berth 😬

Crows are very clever.

The bird population has enough problems with increasing urbanisation and a massive cat population-so be nice to them.

Yes, they pretty much learn by association with regard to who/what is a friend or enemy.

As far as the dog killing a crow, though, that would elicit a different response because they are very suspicious about dead crows. Not other birds, even similar looking ones, just their own species.

They mob together around a dead crow to see why it might have died - what is nearby at the time? A person? An animal? Some particular food?

If they can't see why, they are more cautious about food for a period of time. They approach it more slowly, etc.

😄

Ah mate, crows are fucking huge, smart, scary fuckers and they've got your card marked OP. Give appeasement a go but be careful.

Birds are smarter than we think.👀

I used to live on the top floor of an L shaped block of flats where Crows used to congregate after getting up in the morning. They spent their time surfing thermals and would bomb out of the turbulence going ra-rar-ra-rar as though they were laughing - and they knew a particular entire Tom Cat very well; their word for Cat is Rak-Rak. As some of the flock were on the ground, the shout would come from the rooftop Rak-Rak! and they'd all fly up.

They cemented their position as my favourite birds after the cat strolled away again when one went 'Meeeeee-owwwwwwwwwwww'
.

I am very good friends with two crows. They also have very good eyesight and recognise me from quite a way away and can pick me out in a crowd.

You'll know if marked as ''Bad'' as they bomb you!

They can sense desperation

Have to say, I am finding this thread fascinating. Thanks OP and please continue to update!

No, I love it when they start chuntering at each other. I started feeding them, but then got distracted by the hedgehogs and forgot.

Crows are amazing - they all have big hearts, are widely accepting of all sorts of food, and the thing they LOVE MOST is if you scatter all sorts of treats about: chips, rice, crisps, bread, lasagne, Christmas dinners, chocolate (they love chocolate) - while your dog is on a leash, possibly about 15 feet away minimum, as they definitely want revenge on the dog and enjoy (safe) psychological torture the most.

They have lookouts who report back on what's going on, they have a strong sense of justice and will probably start to forgive your family if you sacrifice your Christmas dinner in front of your powerless dog at a distance they judge to be acceptable.

If your apology works you'll be a powerful crow goddess for a long time (and also, let's be honest those of us who've posted here explaining crow rules are now hopefully in the clear as there will be a couple of them in charge of social media monitoring). 🐦

Maybe I need to be more aloof: drop some mealworms in a more nonchalant way; make brief eye contact and look away.

Many years ago we lived in a house with a tree in the front garden next to the foot path. Magpies used to nest there and attacked anyone who approached. One year we heard a terrible screeching from the back yard and found a baby magpie in the swimming pool with frantic parents looking on. We fished the baby out and returned it to the parents. From then on we were never attacked.

They will take you.

I know this as a " a flock of crows are rooks, and a pair of rooks are crows"

@TheMoth

Yup, play it cool my friend, play it cool.

I’m sorry this made me laugh so much and made me feel better about my own problems which pale in comparison to a vengeful murder of crows with very good collective memory.
Hope you find a solution x

Magpies made my fluffy cat's life a misery after he nest raided one year. They came and shouted at him when he was in the back garden and would take it in turns to come and annoy him when he was chilling in the sun.

It was a bit odd seeing fifteen plus of them lined up on the fence squalking their heads off at him.

So an offering of a 70s style cheese and pineapple hedgehog with the grapefruit covered in foil?!

Not crows, but several generations of blackbirds had my mum trained that when they knocked on the window, she'd go out with an offering of currants.