A family of corvids built their nest right by my door. I’ve enjoyed seeing their nest grow, and I think the babies are now full fledglings.
Up until now, we’ve each been going out separate ways. Aside from leaving them some sticks to use, I haven’t interacted with them directly.
Today I either closed the door too hard, or they got spooked by the garbage truck passing by. A crow dive bombed me twice, hitting me the first time and whooshing by me the second time. It didn’t hurt, but I’m offended that they don’t remember me.
I know crows can hold a vendetta and remember faces. Any tips on how to get back in their good graces?
edit: I looked into giving them food, but it’s against the bylaws in my city
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bird-feeding-vancouver-bylaw
A Vancouver resident who admittedly loves feeding the crows in his neighbourhood is now facing a major fine.
According to Reddit user DubUbasswitmyheadman, they’ve been feeding birds while walking their dog.
However, they claim that feeding the wildlife irritated enough people to prompt one neighbour to contact their landlord to collect their email and phone number.
DubUbasswitmyheadman now claims they are facing a $4,000 fine for feeding wildlife.
You don’t. Crows are the evil masterminds of the bird world, as any expert in bird law will tell you.
Do you happen to enjoy boiling denim, foraging naked in the sewers, and playing nightcrawlers?
Wait until the younglings are gone and then try to offer food on the reg. You need to be present. And be prepared for stubborn refusal.
They are smart birds to a point. If you leave some sticks out and then later they incorporate them into their nest, they won’t think oh this kind human did this for me. They needed sticks and took them. If you stay out of their feathers they’re not thinking oh this human is so respectful of my boundaries. They’re thinking this terrain is mine! So you’re operating on the assumption that you have some sort of getting along with the creatures credit that only exists in your mind. As far as the birds are concerned you were at best a dormant threat they could live with until something made you an active one and you got attacked. And now that’s all you are. And it’ll take time and effort to change that.
Peace offering. Try giving them bread (good one from bakery) but I’m no specialist
What kind of bread does a crow consider to be good? I know birds can’t taste spiciness, but that’s about it
The ones in my neighborhood prefer unsalted peanuts.
Bread is bad for birds, don’t give them bread. Not only is it not nutritious for them, it expands and fills their stomach in a bad way. Better to do a search for “what to feed crows”, and check several sites since there is so much slop out there now, rather than ask random people here.
There was an account on Mastodon who tried a lot of things with crow. Sadly I didn’t found it.
From memory: « his » crow liked the one with crushed nuts
Bread
bread bloats the bird’s stomach, other food would be better
This is about making peace, not long term care. Bread is absolutely fine
It isn’t. Don’t give birds bread. Berries, seeds, nuts, bugs are what they eat. They don’t eat bread.
Have you ever seen a bird in an urban environment? They absolutely eat bread
They absolutely eat bread
By “they don’t” the person you’re replying to means “they shouldn’t”.
Search for “bread” and “birds” to find thousands of web pages explaining why bread is bad for birds and you should not feed it to them.
See my edit.
Shiney things, soft bits of fabric maybe? Also don’t see why you couldn’t forget some diced cheese or something gut friendly across species that you were enjoying on the step when you have to duck inside to make a phone call?
Explosives
Just as an amateur naturist, based on what I’ve read, I’m thinking it would probably be useful for you to be proactive here and make friends with these intelligent animals, not just get along with them.
So I’d recommend doing a little research and following up, which I’m thinking might involve leaving them out some kind of preferred food on a regular basis, that kind of thing.
Just as an amateur naturist…
I’m not an expert in corvid behaviour either, but I doubt showing your naughty bits to crows is the best course of action.
They usually get a chuckle or two, so it’s all good.
Naturism is a lifestyle and philosophical movement advocating for non-sexual social nudity. How is that related to crows?
It isn’t, of course. I’m pretty sure I was aiming for “naturalist” there, but yon ol’ brain fog kicked in.
Haha, no worries. Naturalist makes much more sense.
Life in 2026 getting so bad the crows are extorting us now
It’s kind of like sharing a living space with someone-- good to put in a little effort to get along and be flexible rather than get off on the wrong foot and potentially antagonise them.
Buy them french fries daily. Get the ones in the red carton, you know the ones. The red carton will help build visual memory. Every day, toss them some french fries. Make sure they see you.
Salt is bad for them
Give them some grapes. Probably cheese would work too :)
And so the war began between the squirrels and the crows
Crows would 100% win that war. They would gladly feast on squirrel meat.
I’ve heard that crows seem to recognize offerings made to them and respond well. Try going outside and, while in their sight (not too close, though), present some food to them where they can see it, carefully place it on the ground, and slowly back away out of sight once more. You may have to do this for multiple days or maybe even weeks, not sure. Otherwise, you can take solace in the fact that nesting season will probably be over shortly as crows usually only raise 1 brood a year. They also don’t usually reuse nests, but have been known to build on top of prior successful nests.
You should post an update somewhere in a week or two because this is pretty interesting!
Yeah I want to do that out here in the country, but they usually stay about 100 feet away. When I go outside they fly away and out of sight. =(
Maybe the trick is to leave some food (like diced and crushed fruit, unsalted peanuts in the shell, or mealworms) where they hang out when you see them? Them being out of your sight doesn’t necessarily mean you’re out of their sight. They could be watching nearby. If they’re in the area often, they’ll probably find it. If you always see them at a certain time of day, try leaving it out there a bit before they show up. Maybe if you put up some feeders that have crow-friendly foods closer to the house, they’ll warm up to it and you, You could also try leaving some food out for them a ways away and just hanging out for awhile reading or something, then gradually over time, leave the food closer. I’d imagine it could take some time and persistence to get the crows to warm up to you.
You might not be allowed to feed them directly, but I bet you can eat a messy sandwich or souvlaki that drops a bunch of meat and cheese.
But now you might just be feeding them without them seeing it as a friendly action and get no benefits.
They’ll know. Do it a few times. Whistle, click or clap a bit before hand so they’re paying attention. It’s more about having an excuse to claim you weren’t feeding them if someone complains. “What !? I like eating my souvlaki in the park, it’s a messy meal.”
Caw! Cawk! Cock!
they do like food, try different foods maybe. we have some ravens near us too.
