7 Reasons Why You Need a City Crow Calendar

June 16, 2023August 23, 2023 / The Urban Nature Enthusiast / Leave a comment

At long last, it’s done! The photo selection, writing, design, finicking, fussing, faffing, editing and proofing of the 2024 City Crow Calenda r are all finished and it’s now at the printer. Woohoo!

I’ll be picking them up (love that special freshly printed smell!) at the end of the month and mailing out the pre-orders immediately thereafter.

In the calm before the storm, I’ve been thinking once again of all the reasons why someone might not just want, but absolutely NEED one of these calendars.

Of course, they’re handy for jotting down birthdays and dentist appointments and the usual day-to-day stuff, but here are a few more reasons to consider dedicating some precious wall space to a City Crow Calendar.

GET TO KNOW YOUR OWN LOCAL CROWS

Bongo is August’s crow, as well as the cover model for the 2024 calendar

People often ask me how I tell my local crows apart, so I’ve made this a major theme for the 2024 calendar. Each month introduces one or two of my crowquaintances — most will be familiar to long-time readers of this blog — and in a NEW feature, I’ve added a guide to getting to know your own local crows.

In the Get to Know Crows Guide I explain the layers of clues I use to identify my local characters and show how you can use a similar method in your own neighbourhood. Make some new friends!

FOLLOW THE CROW SEASONS

Sometimes, living in the city, you start to recognize the passing of the seasons only by the changing nature of the items on display in local shops, or in our social media feeds (back-to-school items … must be July, Halloween décor … what, August already?)

I like to think that City Crow Calendar owners will:

be more excited to get outside to see what their own local crows are up to, and thus witness firsthand what the sky and vegetation have to say, and
start to see the crows themselves as messengers of seasonal change.

Crow seen with sticks in their beaks … aha, must be the beginning of the nesting season.

Riotous crow behaviour in fall …this year’s fledglings are finally independent and nuts and berries are ready to harvest — party time!

BE IN TUNE WITH THE MOON

When everyone is saying “That moon looks amazing — is it a full moon?” you will be able to answer sagely “Not quite, but tomorrow night will be the Full Crow Moon” and your friends will be duly impressed by your oneness with the universe.

(Really, you just had a quick look at your City Crow Calendar, but I won’t say anything if you don’t. )

BE AN URBAN NATURE ENTHUSIAST

There are any number of calendars you can own that will show you breathtaking scenery on the coast, in the mountains or in the deep woods. The City Crow Calendar (the hint is in the name) is specially designed for those of us who, for one reason or another, spend most of our time in the urban jungle.
It’s a daily reminder that you don’t have to wait and wait until you can finally get out of town to experience being really in tune with Nature — you can find those moments any day, any time by just going outside (or even just looking out of your window) and checking in on what your fellow city dwellers, the crows, are up to now.

Of course, in addition to the calendar, you can also subscribe to this blog, and/or follow me on social media for regular reminders on the wonders of urban nature.

CONVINCE THE “CROW CAUTIOUS”

We all have at least one friend who has not yet realized (poor benighted soul) how amazing crows are,

and how worthy of watching every single day.

Buy them a City Crow Calendar and see if it can sway them. Sometimes finding out why crows behave the way they do (for example, seeming a little aggressive in the nesting season while trying to protect their babies) can be the key to going from crow-averse to fully pro-crow!

ENHANCE YOUR COCKTAIL PARTY CONVERSATION

At a party and looking for the perfect conversation opener?

Friends and new acquaintances alike will be amazed when you explain to them how you can tell female crows apart from males. Cement your reputation as an eccentric (yet knowledgeable) crow enthusiast by telling them why fall and winter are the best seasons to visit the crow roost … and how they can tell their local crows apart.

The trick is to walk away if you notice eyes starting to glaze over. It’s always best to leave them wanting more in the way of crow facts!

GET A FREE COLLECTIBLE BUTTON

Each calendar comes with a free 1.75-inch wide button featuring the City Crow Calendar’s 2024 cover model — who happens to be Bongo, keeping an eye on things from a stop sign.

The 2024 City Crow Calendar will be my 9th annual calendar!

© junehunterimages, 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to junehunterimages with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Mr Walker’s Bad Monday

April 24, 2023 / The Urban Nature Enthusiast / 13 Comments

There’s a lot of local crow news right now (Wings, Bongo, P.Earl) but unfortunate circumstances bring me back to the Walkers today.

I saw the Walkers on the weekend and all seemed totally fine, if a little soggy.

This morning I saw Mr. Walker, but he wasn’t walking. He did fly over to me and then I saw his eye …

I tried to convince myself I’d got mixed up and this was Wanda, who IS blind in one eye — but I knew it was Mr W and they eye injury looked quite different from Wanda’s. Also, the other eye.

Wanda in the cherry tree last week

I put out a call for help from bird rehabbers and those with more knowledge than me on social media and received lots and lots of great suggestions. I also got in touch with our local wildlife rescue association, sending photos, and they suggested we take a wait and see approach.

I’m sincerely hoping it’s just a minor injury and he’ll recover without me having to attempt to get him into a box. I have zero crow trapping experience and I fear he is likely smarter than me.

Besides which, it would be a terrible time to take him away as Wanda is already, as I mentioned in the last post, making begging sounds and showing other signs that she’s either laid eggs or is about to, and will be 100% dependent on Mr Walker for food in the nest for awhile.

I went for a second visit this afternoon and saw the Walkers together at our usual meeting tree.

Mr Walker on the lower branch

I did notice in one of the photos I took this afternoon that his eye was open a little, which seemed like a big improvement, so fingers crossed it looks better and not worse tomorrow. I’ll keep you posted.

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Sounds of Springtime

April 18, 2023 / The Urban Nature Enthusiast / 5 Comments

It can be a bit confusing to hear the sounds of fledgling crows begging loudly for food as early as April.

We’re still weeks away from the excitement of the first fledgling appearances — so what’s going on?

You’re hearing the sound of female crows begging food from their mates. They sound just like hungry fledglings and also adopt the classic begging pose — wings out, head lowered.

It’s just another part of the nesting dance. The construction of the nest is probably complete and the female is getting ready to lay eggs, but first she needs to remind her mate that she, just like the helpless fledgling she’s mimicking, is going to be relying on him for food soon.

The Walkers have been displaying this behaviour for a week or so now.

Mr Walker feeding his mate, Wanda

Shortly before laying eggs the female crow loses feathers on a patch of her underside so that her body heat will pass to the eggs without any feathery insulation getting in the way. This is called a brood patch — and only the mother crow has one — so for two to three weeks it’s her job to sit on the nest and incubate the precious eggs, while her mate is responsible for guarding the nest and keeping her fed. If he fails, she will be brooding in more way than one …

Wanda (blind in one eye) in a cherry tree

Wanda is starting to insist that Mr. Walker feed her, even when she’s got a beak full of food already, just to jog his crow brain into remembering his coming duties.

Mr. Walker, dependable father to be

Here’s a little phone video series of the current daily routine.

Part one: As always, Mr. Walker dashes along beside us. At the moment his route is decorated with drifts of pink snow from fallen cherry blossom petals.

Part two: As usual, Wanda arrives at the peanut destination first (having come via air travel) and gets first dibs on the snacks.

Part three: in spite of having more than her share of peanuts, Wanda insists that Mr. W feeds her some of his. He gallantly obliges.

The Walkers at Home

Let’s hope the Walkers have a successful season. Like many of the local crows, their 2022 nesting efforts went unrewarded, so a couple of new little Walkers this year would be extra nice.