Tag-Teaming Crows!!!!

After the few days of the “squirrels-only” project, I wanted to try and attract the crows again. I’ve been getting little pecks of interest here and there with the crows since the big events last week, but nothing really serious - there’s a piece of bread on the ground, a black beak comes in from the side and *yoink* - it’s gone. That’s about all I’ve seen of the crows in the last few days - but at least they’re still there.

So on Monday, I asked around and found (well, my mother found it eventually, actually :)) a page on feeding crows. They suggested apples, cheese and bread, while I suggested many times “this will never work!!” Cut up a small bit of apple, a few small pieces of a white american cheese slice, and left the bread in the bag that’s been in there since I put it out for the squirrels… it was now ready for it’s adoring crow public. Of course, just like I thought - it didn’t work. A few squirrels came here and there, and I had a Black Vulture that flew over the house but didn’t land (wouldn’t that be cool to see on cam!!!!) but no crows… Tuesday came, one crow grabbed a small piece of bread that was laying on the ground again, and that was it… but still, at least they’re still coming back!

But then… on Wednesday, things changed for the better!… I figured that maybe something would come, eventually, so I just let everything sit where it was from the last night. No changes, no new food - nothing… I woke up around 11:30 and nothing was touched, took a small nap at 12:45 and nothing came… “Whatever. I’m just going to leave everything running just in case something happens… er… whatever…” I woke up again at 2:20 to get ready for work and there were 2 crows in the yard! “Cool!!! I hope they did something on camera!” Being that it was just about time for work, I quickly opened the capture file and took a quick peek - a crow was pecking at the side of the bag! “Yes! Something did happen! But I don’t know if they both did anything or… and if they jumped on it, or…” I only looked at my capture file for 10 seconds, and it was a HDV capture playing on a G4 iBook… DV video plays fine on that computer… but HD? Fogettaboutit! So I have an idea that a crow came by and was moderadely interested… but that’s about it…

…I didn’t know the full picture until I got back home from work later that night - the crows worked together to get food out of the mat!!! Both of them took turns jumping on it, and they were seriously intent on getting the food out of the bag! I have never seen crows that interested in my project!!! Not only that, there were 2 of them ripping it apart!!! Definitely one of the most interesting things ever to happen at my project! Well, in this yard anyway!!

And that’s not all!! Another crow came later in the night, also jumped on top of the mat and also ripped at the bag! The video was kind of dark (I forgot to turn the ND filter off before I left), but that proves that crows are interested in my project now!! What does that mean…? Well, it’s supposed to snow again tomorrow and the weather’s changing drasticially, so… yeah… I’m going to have to start out from scratch again…

Well, last year about this time, I had a similar project going for weeks until I got even one squirrel interested enough to come into the frame of the shot (I had the cameras set up as minimalistically as possible so the movement wouldn’t disturb them, so I couldn’t move the shot), let alone tear into the Feeder to get the nuts out. The main reason for the lack of squirrels last year was mainly the nest that was… let’s just say “taken down” (”torn down” would be more like it) by order of the local code enforcer. Yeah, that’s a wonderful thing to find out once you’ve finally saved up enough money to get a lens long enough to watch the squirrel’s nest, isn’t it…?

That was last year though -

this year, the yard is filled with squirrels’ nests, so that means it’s filled with squirrels! (I can’t help but think the November-December vertical feeder project helped with that a little :)), …sooo no problem getting squirrels to come this time! - Although it took a little longer for them to come around, they came, they sniffed and they ripped into the Feeder mat - the first one into the Feeder was interesting to watch, because it just stood there, kind of half-interested… and then it tore into it! And now that I have the mic feeding in from the outside (it’s actually sitting inside the mat!), I have awesome sounds of the squirrels near, on and ripping in to the bag!

Snowy Squirrel… on tree…

One of the most aggrivating taping sessions in awhile… don’t you just love it when the shots don’t line up anything close to what you’re going for…? Well, this was one of those days. Of course, the squirrels don’t face the camera, they’re always on the other side… the tripod is either just too short or too long, and… and… and…!! Well, at least I did manage to get some shots of squirrels out in the snow!

Aah, the feel of tree bark… ohhh…

And the confusion doesn’t end there… the 2nd video is a squirrel doing what looks like a dry heave to me… I’m not sure what it’s doing, if it’s defensive or just a temperature reaction, but it’s weird looking! The video itself is only 40 seconds and shows a little of the squirrel’s strangeness, but the event went on for about 10 minutes! Is it hiccupping? I don’t know!

It’s mine!!
Video follows below…

I took everything in last night because it was supposed to snow today… the sun streaming in through the window seemingly mocks me…

Picture and video in this post © Zach Glenwright

Squirrel reflecting… with it’s reflection… video follows below…

No music this time though - I couldn’t think of an appropriate theme for the soundtrack, and when I do, all I can think of is either a commercial piece or a music library piece that I can’t use… so if you need a soundtrack, check for a song called “Destination Pulsation” from an album called “Rhythmworx” - that’s the closest piece that I could find to fit the video, but I can’t use the song, because I don’t have a license… Abi, could you think of a song that’s usable that would fit this?

Picture and video in this post © Zach Glenwright

I thought I told you to turn that camera off!!

Well, I only got one squirrel today also, but this one squirrel was determined to get the nuts out of the Feeder - all kinds of interesting squirrel activity followed! Running back and forth, jumping on the top and hanging from there, climbing on it sideways, sometimes doing all of those in 2 seconds - a lot better than anything I’ve captured in the last week or so (except for Monday and a few shots on Tuesday), and with this new shot, not only does it cut back on glare, but you can see the squirrels come down the tree before going to the feeder - a nice little addition to the ambiance of the shot.

I also tried a little mini-test where I put a nut on the mic and held it on with rubber bands to see if anyone would be interested in that nut - no one really did any work to get the nut off there, but I did see the one squirrel sniffing at it once or twice. Maybe they’ll notice that more tomorrow?

Time will tell…

Picture and video in this post © Zach Glenwright

…I usually see about 3 or 4 squirrels resting in the trees like this when it’s about to get rainy… so it’s a good time to check the trees for possible shots! Video follows below, and due to advice from past shots like this, I composed a short-length light dreamy-like musical background piece in Soundtrack to compliment the video…

Picture and video in this post © Zach Glenwright

This post, as well as the picture and video from it are © 2006 Chris Osborne, originally published on The Backyard Voyeur. The “Pillow Feeder” is his feeder project based on my (Zach Glenwright’s) Backyard Bag Feeder Project…