Last winter, I looked for the Walkers daily, but there was no sign of them anywhere.
A new pair of feisty crows settled in their territory, claiming the cherry tree that had been the central Walker HQ. I became resigned to never seeing either of the Walkers again.
Then, one day in March, I heard a crow caw that was just a tiny bit different from the rest. I thought to myself, “That sounds just like Wanda.”
I hadn’t realized until that moment that her “caw” had always been slightly different and more strident than the average crow, but when I heard it, a vision of Wanda’s face just popped into my mind.
The Wanda-like call came from the part of the neighbourhood that used to “belong” to White Wing and her mate. The Wings had been gone for a couple of years now, and new crows had settled there too, so I didn’t really think it COULD be Wanda.
Nevertheless, I walked over in that direction to investigate further.
The crow in question flew over and I immediately noticed the same gap in the wing feathers that Wanda had. Then she landed beside me and I saw she had a curved beak tip, just like Wanda.
It was, and is, Wanda.
She was accompanied by another, larger crow, who held back a little and, for a moment, I hoped it was Mr. Walker.
But it wasn’t him — this crow had no eye damage and lacked Mr. W’s slightly curved beak tip.
After a few days of grieving Mr. Walker’s absence, I started to observe the new companion and the dynamic between him and Wanda.
I started to call the new guy Walter.
Walter (left) and Wanda (right)
He would seem to be a younger crow. He appears to be a bit timid at first meeting, but I think he waits and watches because Wanda has appointed him head of security operations.
Wanda and her new companion on what used to White Wing’s local stop sign.
Wanda remains Boudica-like in her determination to claim and retain this new territory. She even ventures boldly back into her old territory, held now by Fearless Freddy and Freda.
This inevitably causes friction, but the newly audacious Wanda continues to push her luck. At the first sign of aggression from the Fearless family, Walter swoops in to intervene. Crisis over, it’s back to a good vantage point to resume his lookout and backup duties. Clearly, part of Wanda’s chutzpah is knowing that she has a reliable bodyguard.
Walter on lookout duty
While seeing Wanda without Mr. Walker makes me sad to realize that he is likely now off at the big Sky Roost with all the other late, great, local crows — George, Mabel, White Wing, Mr. Pants — it also makes me happy to see how she’s adapted to her circumstances.
It’s so interesting to see how she, like Mabel before her, protected and cared for her ailing mate for as long as she could, and then went on to build a new life for herself, remaining a dominant force in the crow-munity. I’m hoping that, like Mabel, Wanda will have some more good years, ruling the block with her new and younger partner.
Wanda’s metamorphosis makes me think about how complicated crow characters can be and how we really still know so little about them — and about so many of the other creatures and organisms we share this planet with.
I’ve now seen several major personality changes in crows as their life situations have changed. These changes are driven, no doubt, by a simple survival imperative, but impressive to see, nonetheless. From talking to neighbours (human*) I’ve also learned that crows can show different personality traits with different people, depending on the relationships they’ve built. For example, White Wing was always the boldest crow in the pair when I saw them, but another person told me that White Wing always held back when she saw them, and Mr. Wing was the fearless one.
In my years of watching crows I realize that, for every one thing I think I’ve figured out about them, there are a hundred more questions. Trying to find the answer to those is what gets me out of the morning every day, rain or shine and makes the walk around the same few urban blocks as exciting as a safari.
Wanda on the fire hydrant that was once White Wing’s favourite perch.
Below, a Wanda losing audio contest with a Northern Flicker.
* I am specifying here which type of neighbour for clarity. The other morning, I came home after the morning dog walk and my husband asked me how the walk had been. I said, “Great! I saw everybody.” It took us a couple of minutes to realize that he thought that “everybody” referred to people. Lol.
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