allthumbs Posted July 2, 2002 Posted July 2, 2002 frickin' crows nest 10 feet from my bedroom window 5:00 AM wakeup every morning compliments of baby crows went on loooooooong enuf 12 gauge to the rescue silence is golden trask Quote
Greg_W Posted July 2, 2002 Posted July 2, 2002 Dude, 12-gauge is overkill. With a pellet gun at least you salvage some meat for Buffalo Crow Wings!! Quote
Dru Posted July 2, 2002 Posted July 2, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Cpt.Caveman: Rent or borrow a cat And if you get some itty bitty paw planks for it then you can go Cat Skiing too!! Quote
sk Posted July 2, 2002 Posted July 2, 2002 You could have at least tried to move the nest or something, did you have to go straight for death???? Quote
allthumbs Posted July 2, 2002 Author Posted July 2, 2002 I knew this was coming from the liberal left. They didn't go to waste; my cat appreciated the feast. Quote
sk Posted July 2, 2002 Posted July 2, 2002 I hate woodpeckers myself...although one of my most valued childhood memories is sitting on the back porch with Daddy while he took pot shots at gofers. Those littles assholes are difficult to get rid of I knew I'd getcha Quote
allthumbs Posted July 2, 2002 Author Posted July 2, 2002 you're bad drop your pants and prepare for boarding (oops!) I mean prepare for a spankin' Quote
Dru Posted July 2, 2002 Posted July 2, 2002 drop dynamite down the gopher hole and hope they dont carry it to under your house before it explodes. TRUE STORY some guy was gonna blow up gophers with dynamite, he lit the dynamite with a long fuse and threw it out towards the gopher hole. His dog ranand fetched the dynamite and brought it back and then went under his brand new F350 king cab with it...boom. no dog, no truck, damn gophers everywhere... Quote
Dru Posted July 2, 2002 Posted July 2, 2002 trask you wanna bring that 12 gauge up here to dealwith my neighbours retarded barky dog? Quote
allthumbs Posted July 2, 2002 Author Posted July 2, 2002 love to. i've got clearance w/bobbyborderpatrol too. resistered my trap gun to bring across any old time. let the games begin. Quote
Dru Posted July 2, 2002 Posted July 2, 2002 quote: Originally posted by trask: frickin' crows nest 10 feet from my bedroom window 5:00 AM wakeup every morning compliments of baby crows went on loooooooong enuf 12 gauge to the rescue silence is golden trask losing battle 'Bolder, more aggressive' Crow increase may be sign of environmental changes in cities EDMONTON (CP) - If a cacophony of cawing, croaking and corvid carousing has you up counting crows at four in the morning, you are not alone. City-dwellers struck by an apparent explosion in their backyards of crows, ravens, jays and magpies - all members of the corvid family - aren't just imagining things. Lu Carbyn, a research scientist with the Canadian Wildlife Service, said crows and ravens especially appear to be multiplying in urban areas. "There's been an increase in the last few years," he said. "They are actually over time changing their behaviour quite a bit. They're getting bolder and they're more aggressive." Some facts about the American crow Christmas bird counts would seem to bear out the population surge. The Audubon Web site shows there were three crow sightings in Edmonton, 49 in Winnipeg and 542 in Toronto in 1990. But those numbers have shown an upward trend and reached 32, 408 and 1,201 respectively by 2001. More crows at Christmas usually means a strong population come spring. Winter crow sightings in more northern cities such as Edmonton are especially significant since the inky-coloured birds usually migrate in the fall. But more of them have been hanging around as weather patterns change. "The winters seem to be getting milder and they (crows) are getting more established," said Chris Fisher, a naturalist and co-author of Birds of Alberta. Drought has also been a factor in the last couple of years, he suggested. Shrubs and trees that corvids prefer suffer in dry conditions and more birds have pushed further north. "What often happens when conditions are poor in the south is they will simply leapfrog those areas . . . and just keep on going north until they find more favourable conditions." Cities have become an alternative habitat for the readily adaptable birds, known for their harsh voices, aggressive mannerisms and general gregariousness. Tall power towers, river-spanning bridges and mature trees in older neighbourhoods provide nesting sites. Food is easy to find. Crows aren't picky and their stomachs can digest seeds, worms, berries, carrion and garbage. "The big dumpsters behind restaurants are a veritable buffet," said Pat Marklevitz, a conservation biology graduate student at the University of Alberta. "You go there and see a dozen magpies and crows peering into it deciding what to have for supper." "We're offering them a place to live and a good food supply . . . so we're really removing some of the constraints that usually limit their population," added Jim Duncan with Manitoba Wildlife. Carbyn said it's hard to pinpoint any one thing that has triggered the population increase, but he acknowledged global warming may be one factor. "Something in the environment has allowed the crows to have a better go at it than before." What all this means to urbanites is equally hard to narrow down. Carbyn, who also owns the Wildbird General Store in Edmonton, fields calls from homeowners angry with the birds for their loud morning cackling, for tormenting the dog, for dive-bombing humans or for chasing songbirds away. The city of Chatham, Ont., got so fed up last year with about 3,000 crows flocking about that two public works employees were employed to use pyrotechnics and a bright spotlight to discourage the birds from roosting. But most birdwatchers suggest that, while irritating, corvids are really no more harmful than those noisy neighbours who play their stereo too loudly. Dive-bombing crows are instinctively protecting their nests and magpies tormenting the dog are really just after his food left in the dish on the patio. "One will distract him and the other one's into the food," said Marklevitz. "Simple solution is don't feed your dog outdoors." What really annoys us about corvids, who are recognized along with parrots as being at the top of the bird brain chain, is that their interaction with humans suggests they do things just to bug us. "If the feeder is empty, jays will come squawking to the window and nag you about it," said Marklevitz. "They're smart enough to know you provide the seeds." It's important to remember corvids are a key part of the ecosystem, said Fisher. They are a natural cleanup crew and they eat destructive insects and mice. It's always best to let nature run its course, agreed Duncan. "Eventually there will be checks and balances." - Some facts about the American crow: Size: 43-53 centimetres from bill to tail tip. Weight about 454 grams when fully grown. Colour: Jet black makes it easy to identify one of its own from a distance. Not easily seen at night. Life expectancy: About 10 years. Predators and disease often shorten this by a few years. Diet: Just about anything. Will cache up to 10,000 seeds a season. Reproduction: Mate for life. Four to six eggs in a nest. Family life: Very social. Interaction with own kind important. Will defend own family, but also come to aid of other crows in need or distress. Enemies: Owls and hawks. Where found: Everywhere except New Zealand, Antarctica, South America. Folklore: Focuses on crow's superior intelligence. Found in Norse, Roman and Greek mythology. Many North American aboriginals view crows as practical jokers, good omens. Crows in literature: Birds of death on battlefields. Quote
sk Posted July 2, 2002 Posted July 2, 2002 I wonder if crow tastes like chicken... i could get a cupple of sling shots and put my boys to work Quote
Dru Posted July 2, 2002 Posted July 2, 2002 CROWS ARE MAGICAL CREATURES!!! Like Drinky Crow If you ever killed a crow you are gonna get CERTIFIED BAD KARMA FOREVER!!!! Why would it surprise anyone that a creature which survives by eating carrion and garbage tastes bad? Quote
Greg_W Posted July 2, 2002 Posted July 2, 2002 Are you sure you're not confusing crows with ravens? I've heard that ravens have some spiritual/metaphysical meaning. Quote
Dru Posted July 2, 2002 Posted July 2, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Greg W: Are you sure you're not confusing crows with ravens? I've heard that ravens have some spiritual/metaphysical meaning. crow and raven Quote
sk Posted July 2, 2002 Posted July 2, 2002 Some say that the raven is the animal that takes the prayres of the native americans to the great spirit Quote
Off_White Posted July 3, 2002 Posted July 3, 2002 I suppose the ability it eat crow is an asset to any well rounded spray queen (and no, I'm making no allusions to your figure. Well, maybe. I dunno) Quote
ryland_moore Posted July 3, 2002 Posted July 3, 2002 I can actually answer this question. My grandfather who is stubborn and is always right, told my father that you can eat anything as long as it is prepared properly. So, my father, out to prove him wrong, went hunting for a week and shot everything from possum, rattlesnakes, and even brought back a box turtle- and of course, crow for their maid, Lottie to cook up (Think South in the 1950's). Lottie proceeded to prepare my grandfather each item when he came home from work for a week and he ate every bit of everything put in front of him (Lottie was an amazing cook), except when he came home for a plateful of stewed Crow. The house smelled so bad that all windows hand doors were left open for 3 days! My grandfather did not eat the Crow and said that it was prepared poorly.I decided to test this a few years ago while staying at my parent's cabin on the Virginia/West Virginia border. There were around 15 crows hanging out and squawking so I shot one and cooked it up. Very greasy and smeeled bad, but with a little garlic, onions, celery and potatoes cooked in the cavity, it wasn't too bad. I mean you could eat it if you were starving. Quote
allthumbs Posted July 3, 2002 Author Posted July 3, 2002 i've eaten lots of crow but only when i'm wrong Quote
sk Posted July 3, 2002 Posted July 3, 2002 Hey you are eugeneie why you not at pub club???? We are climbing tonight at the collums 6:30... eugene climbers unite [ 07-02-2002, 12:14 PM: Message edited by: sk ] Quote
ryland_moore Posted July 3, 2002 Posted July 3, 2002 I will try and make it. Have been scheduling/work related conflicts up till now. Quote
Uncle_Tricky Posted July 6, 2002 Posted July 6, 2002 OK, true story. My neighbor got fed up with a murder of crows (yup, a group of crows is called a "murder") jabbering in the rigging of her boat and waking her up at the crack of dawn every morning. She got so pissed she collected a bucketfull of rocks and sticks. When the crows would start cawing, she would run out on deck and hurl stuff at them. After a few days of this, one morning she heard a several bumps and thumps on the deck. When she went out to investigate, she discovered that the crows were picking the rocks and sticks she had been throwing at them out of the bucket, circling overhead, and dropping them back onto her boat!!! Oh, and my vote for best tasting bird goes to the rock dove, otherwise known as the common pidgeon. I wouldn't eat the city birds, but the grain-fed rural pidgeons of Eastern WA are tasty! Marinate in teriyaki sauce, cover with a slice of bacon and broil for ~10 minutes. [ 07-06-2002, 03:28 AM: Message edited by: Uncle Tricky ] Quote
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