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Saturday, 9 November 2013

Counting Crows

Keen discussion

Counting Crows

One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret never to be told.

You go check it out!
"One for Sorrow" is a traditional children's nursery rhyme about magpies. I've used it here! According to an old superstition, the number of magpies one sees determines whether one will have bad luck or not. We often have a trio in our backyard. Being fixed, I don't think we anticipate a girl!
Always me? Whatever.
 These are American Crows. We don't have magpies in southeastern Ontario. All are part of the corvid family.

The genus includes jackdaws, crows and ravens, and magpies (the latter of which: are absent in Ontario!).
American Crow

Northern Raven
43-53 cm (17-21”)
Completely black, purplish in sunlight, with large, chunky, strong black bill and feet.

Woodland, farmland, grove, shore
As far north as mid/central Ontario (summer) and northern Ontario.

A loud caw, cah or kahr

55-68 cm (22 – 27”)
Wedge-shaped tail
Hawk-like in its flight (gliding/circling)
Roman nosed bill, goiter-like neckfeathers.
Boreal and Mt. forests, coastal cliffs, tundra. Does not venture much to southern Ontario.

Croaking cr-r-ruck or prruk, metallic tok

Camera-Critters #292


I'm having a nap.
Big birds

Protest?
at

12 comments:

  1. sandyland9 November 2013 at 09:39

    I can hear them in my mind

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  2. TexWisGirl9 November 2013 at 09:48

    i love the crows and their family units.

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  3. eileeninmd9 November 2013 at 09:54

    Cool post and photos of the Crows! Have a happy weekend!

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  4. Maude Lynn9 November 2013 at 10:26

    Lovely shots!

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  5. carol l mckenna9 November 2013 at 10:42

    Very regal looking crow and wonderful shots of the flock ~ thanks, carol, xxx

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  6. SarahBeth9 November 2013 at 13:53

    Great pics! I like the one where they are lined up across the road :)
    Roadblock!

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  7. Anonymous9 November 2013 at 15:24

    Love crows and other Corvids. They are so intelligent.

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  8. Red9 November 2013 at 15:36

    I'll send all out magpies your way to make you happy. We don't have jackdaws.

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  9. Powell River Books9 November 2013 at 16:29

    We have a pair of resident ravens at the cabin. The poem says joy, but sometimes they can bring grief, especially when they tear into a container looking for food. - Margy

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  10. Louisette9 November 2013 at 17:35

    Great pics crows, best regard from Belgium

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  11. Sallie (FullTime-Life)10 November 2013 at 13:57

    Crows are everywhere. Here and in Oregon and everywhere else we've ever stayed. I'll be counting them from now on. And, the rhyme sounds better with "crows" than "magpies!"

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  12. Kay10 November 2013 at 19:04

    I can never tell ravens and crows apart. I sure didn't know that magpies were in the same family either. This was very interesting!

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