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How beautiful is it to enjoy a summer day in the fields? How wonderful is it to watch a cornfield glimmer like gold kissed by sunshine? Maybe some of your best memories are linked to leisurely strolls in the countryside, enjoying the flora and fauna with your friends and family? For most of us, the pleasures derived from admiring nature are immeasurable.
Children love watching butterflies skip over wild prairie flowers; we all love listening to the chirping of birds in admiration and, in some cases, even in a meditative state. Listening to the rustle of the wind in the leaves of trees while birds fly in the sky is like watching a miracle repeat itself on a daily basis… So, do you love birds? Do you wish to see more birds around you, even fairly common ones?
If so, you may not be the happiest person on the planet nowadays; unfortunately, urbanization and pollution have reduced the number and variety of birds we can observe enormously in the last few decades. Once upon a time, it was virtually enough to have a small garden or take a stroll in any park to see many species of birds.
Sparrows were once so common in many cities that they passed almost unnoticed; swallows used to come bang at the beginning of every spring to nest under the eaves of roofs… Now, owls have disappeared from barns and from the symphony of forests at night, and even crows are no longer that common in cornfields and city parks.
“Why is it so,” you may ask? Well, there are many reasons; although crows are very sturdy and resourceful, they too suffer from the pollution in the environment and many have been poisoned by insecticides and poisoned food (they have a very wide diet, which includes grains, carrion, invertebrates, eggs, nestlings, remains of human food and even fish, most of which have now become far too often dangerous to eat because of pesticides, pollution, and chemicals in general).
Moreover, savage urbanization has now taken away much of their habitat; modern cities leave very little space for parks, especially wild ones and large ones. In fact, these beautiful animals love vast areas of green, with fields as well as trees, as they spend their time both on the ground, where they tend to feed, and on branches, where they nest.
However, if you are lucky enough to be living in an area where there are crows, and you want to get close with these wonderful birds, but you do not know how to attract them, you have come to the right place.
To start with, let’s say that crows are, on the whole, very approachable birds; some birds (like pigeons, robins, etc.) are not so scared of people and you can get near them without scaring them off; others, on the other hand, are shy and will fly away as soon as they detect your presence.
Some Facts about Crows
Crows are a genus of birds technically called Corvidae; a genus is a group of related species, in our case, there are about 45 species of crows, like Corvus Albus, or pied crow, Corvus corax, a.k.a. the common raven, Corvus Brachyrhynchos, commonly known as the American crow and Corvus Corone, or the carrion crow.
Crows live in all continents with the exception of Antarctica. Despite what some people believe, not all crows are just black; some are in fact also gray. They have a fairly long lifespan for birds, as some species can reach the old age of 20 or so, and the oldest American crow known to have lived in the wild was 30 years old, while in captivity, one lived to the venerable age of 59!
Crows are known to be extremely intelligent beings; in fact, recent studies show that they may have IQs of values similar to those of human children (if a comparison may be drawn); surely, they can learn very fast, in fact, we know of populations that have learned to use stones, etc. to open nuts, for example. So, if you want to attract a crow, you will need to know that these are extraordinary birds with impressive intellect.
How to Attract Crows
1 – Keep Quiet
If you wish to attract crows to your garden, the first thing you should know is they do not particularly like noisy places. Therefore, if your garden has things that produce noise, like bells, speakers, etc. the chances are that you will be scaring them off.
If you live near a busy road, for example, you are very unlikely to be able to attract crows. Your best option is to create a silent sanctuary (as far as possible); soundproofing your gate may be the best option.
This can be done with special walls, or with polystyrene walls, but also with vegetation.
Depending on how large your plot is, you may choose to grow a wide hedge (of trees and bushes of different heights, if possible) to fend off the noise of the engines. Reed and bamboo are very good noise absorbers, for example. Even replacing a wire or iron fence with wood palisade fencing can reduce the amount of noise that gets through and may facilitate your effort to attract crows.
2 – Build a Perch for Them
As we said, crows like to be able to fly up into trees in case they feel threatened; in case there are no branches where they can find refuge when they need, you could build a perch (a bit like the ones we often see parrots on) or even a few of them.
If, for example, there is a lot of open land around your home (say that you live in the middle of cornfields,) they will spot them when flying and take them into consideration as places to rest.
It will take some time to attract crows by simply placing perches in your garden, but it is one of the methods you can use in combination with others we will see later on. These should be tall enough for them; at least, I would suggest about 6 feet (2 meters).
3 – Provide Water
Of course, birds need water to survive; so do crows. If your garden and home are far from places where they can quench their thirst in case of need, it is very unlikely that they will come to visit you.
So, leave a bowl with water; it may not be everything you need to attract crows, but it is a starting point…
Also, in case you live in a rather cold place, where, for example, nights are frosty, take the time to check that the water has not turned into ice every day.
4 – Pets Can Be an Issue
If you have pets like cats and dogs, they will scare crows away, and you will find it difficult to attract them. Of course, not all pets put these birds off; hamsters, gerbils, rabbits, and, well, you guessed, turtles and fish will not even be noticed by crows, but more predatory ones will.
So, if you have a cat or a dog, you may want to fence off an area where she or he cannot go; this should be a comparatively large space; having a very small enclosed space will not suffice; to start with, crows may feel uncomfortable in rather tiny spaces; secondly, they might not feel safe.
5 – Keep Cars Away
If you want to choose the best spot where you wish to attract crows near your house, next to the garage is not the best choice!
Cars are both noisy and alien to these beautiful creatures; true, you may see crows on the lawns of parks next to busy roads in some cities (like in London, for example), but if you disturb them, you diminish your chances of seeing them approach your garden.
So, choose the quietest and remotest place you can, in order to guarantee them the peace and safety that they need.
6 – Use Food
Ok, this is possibly one of the most important things to do if you really intend to attract crows. If you scatter food around your lawn, they will soon notice it and come to help themselves to a good meal.
Remember that you should do this regularly, as a one-off will be virtually useless; crows need to get to know that there is food usually available in a certain place to come flocking.
Also, keep in mind that these birds are good communicators; although we do not really understand how this works, it is ‘word of mouth’ that will be the best publicity for your invitation to dinner.
So, what do crows eat? We have already talked about it earlier on, but not everything they eat is suitable to scatter around your lawn. You do not want to throw your leftovers on your petunias, for example, and the corpses of little animals may not give off the best scent when your guests come for their garden dinners…
So, here is a good selection:
- Seeds, including corn, but also bigger ones, like sunflower seeds etc. Actually, the bigger the better, as they will be more visible.
- Peanuts are really good to attract crows; they are big, rich in calories and nutrients and they do not go off easily.
- Dog food can be a choice as well; however, if you use it, put it in a bowl and at regular times during the day. Yes, because these birds are quite good at knowing what time it is!
7 – Use a Crow Whistle
Birdwatchers all over the world know that one of the best lures for these animals is the sound of their peers; so, there are on the market whistles for almost every species of birds.
In the end, as we said, crows are good communicators and have very good hearing indeed. You can buy a crow whistle for about $10.00, which is fairly affordable if you really want to see these flying beauties in your garden.
Conclusion
Crows are some of the most fascinating birds on the planet; they have filled books, myths, and movies; for example, there is a saying in London that when crows (ravens in this case, but same genus, remember?) will leave the Tower of London, Britain and its monarchy will cease to exist!
Well, superstition apart, these wonderful and super-intelligent animals are a wonder to observe and have as guests in your gardens, so, if you want to invite them, now you need what to do.
