Sounds like the perfect name for an English Pub. I like to think there is one somewhere, and that I’ll enjoy a pint there one day.

But for today it’s a just good title for my blog.

A new dog is a lot of fun, but so much work. Not a single blog post has been written since the arrival of Geordie, except for the one I wrote a couple of weeks ago about how he got to us.

You may think the crows are being neglected. But fear not!

It’s true that I’ve had less time to take photographs of them, but all of the walkies I’ve been on lately have kept me well informed of their progress.

HANK AND VERA

Hank and Vera are our “resident” crows. During the rest of the year the other crow families (Eric and George’s) stop by, but during nesting season they get more territorial. Eric and family do occasionally swing by, but this causes mighty outrage on Hank and Vera’s part.

Vera disappeared for a while, and only Hank came for food so I think they had a nest. But then Vera reappeared, and at the same time I saw part of a dead baby crow on the neighbour’s lawn, leading me to think that (like last spring) a racoon or cat spoiled their plans. Vera seems to have vanished again, so I think they might be giving it another try.

Of all the local crows, Hank is one I worry most about. He’s always had a limp, but his left foot and leg seem to be getting much worse. He often stands only on the other leg, and sometimes has a hard time making a landing.

Vera, on the other hand, has gone from the Cinderella crow of last spring, to Boudicea the Warrior Queen. Still a little smaller than the other crows, she makes up for it with sheer attitude. I think she, rather than Hank, is responsible for jealously guarding their territory from other crows.

Boadicea Vera – Spring 2016

ERIC AND FAMILY

Eric’s clan claim the tall poplars on the west side of Notre Dame School at the east end of our block. Their challenge this year is the fact that the school finally cleaned out the rotting portables and tangle of blackberry bushes. While it does make the area a lot nicer looking from a human perspective, a lot of that “wasted” space was perfect for keeping crow fledglings out of sight of predators until they learned to fly.

Every time I walk by the school on “their” corner, Eric comes down to say hello.

I haven’t seen any young ones yet, but it seems that Eric, Clara and at least one of last year’s youngsters are busy. I’ll be listening out for the lovely quacky sound of baby crows any day now.

LAST, BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST – GEORGE

Of all the neighbourhood crows, George has most enthusiastically adapted to our new dog walking schedule. Every single time I walk to the west side of the block, George is there.

I’m especially happy to see him as for weeks he seemed to have vanished. I was worried that his bad luck had gotten even worse. On the contrary though, he and Mabel seem to be doing just fine and George, broken beak and all, looks to be in the best of health.

Every single time Geordie and I get to “his” corner, George comes and lands on a fence right beside us. I always try to have a few peanuts on board for him — although he’s also pretty fond of dog treats. His beak doesn’t look as if it’s going to grow back any more, but it seems to be well healed and I’d say George is managing just fine.

And what does Geordie think of the crows?

Like many of the new things in Geordie’s life, his first crow sightings were cause for nervous fidgeting and fretting. Now, having seen hundreds of them in the last few weeks, and the same ones several times a day, they barely register on his doggy radar.

He does like to listen to whatever Vera is saying from the roof of the house while he’s relaxing in the garden.

Geordie tries his hand at interpreting “crow”.

Geordie gets to the deeper meaning in Vera’s message.

Oh, and if anyone does know of a pub called The Dog and Crow, do let me know and I’ll put in on my bucket list.

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