My crows have, for the moment, disappeared.
Well, okay. Not disappeared, they’re just sort of close by instead of hanging out on my various sheds and/or porch.
Personally, I blame the starlings.
Starlings have a bit of a reputation. They’re invasive, noisy, arrive in hordes, and get into tiny brawls everywhere. They fight in the birdbath and knock it over, upsetting the mourning doves. They fight in the seeds and kick them everywhere. They kick each other off of the deck railing like this is a tiny Sparta, and every one of them is a miniature Leonidas.
They’re also bullies. Since they travel in groups, often with masses of babies in tow, they have no problem starting fights with birds much larger than them. Starlings are tiny compared to crows, but they do outnumber them greatly. Crows will kill and eat baby birds, so the starling families seem to go on the offensive as a matter of course.
It’s not like they have to fight a whole bunch, either. Crows have good memories, and starlings are loud. It probably only takes one fight for a crow to hear a flock of starlings and not exactly feel up to facing down an army of shrieking lilliputian kickboxers.
Starlings also have basically no sense of self-preservation. In the past day, I’ve seen a baby starling walk up and gape its mouth at a reflection, a sparrow, and a squirrel. This afternoon, one of them flew to my kitchen window, stood on the outside sill, and gaped at me through the glass.
I wished I’d gotten a picture of this, but I did not as I was too busy staring in shock at this stunning display of hubris.
Sorry, kid. I keep the feeders filled, but I’m not about to go outside to spit bugs into your tiny face.
Also, where are your parents?
Fortunately, starlings are migratory. They’ll hang around during the summer, like a swarm of drunk college kids in Punta Cana, then pack up and leave. I know the crows are still here because I hear and see them around. They just tend to go to the feeders very early and very late, when they’re less likely to be harassed.
Honestly, I know how the crows feel.
Marble Crow 
LOL!!! Love this. We don’t have starlings here, thank Goddess. Lotsa hummers, crows, wrens, and finches – but no “drunk college kids”.
LikeLike
My yard is basically a frat house. Between the squirrels eating fermented fruit and the starlings constantly brawling, I feel like one of those parents who’re all like, “If you’re going to drink, I’d rather you do it here where we know you’re safe.”
LikeLiked by 1 person