Talked to a neighbor who feeds crows and it changed how I see my morning robins

He told me crows remember faces and will warn other birds about threats, so now I wonder if my robins are actually avoiding my feeder because of the crow family down the street. Has anyone else noticed their regular birds disappearing after a new species moved into the area?

3 comments

3 Comments

carter.casey2d ago

Oh man, that thing about crows remembering faces really stuck with me too. I had a similar thing happen when a Cooper's hawk started nesting a few blocks over - my chickadees and finches just vanished for like three weeks straight. It's honestly kind of heartbreaking to watch your feeder go quiet after you spent so long building up that trust with the regulars. I hope your robins come back once they figure out the crow situation isn't actually dangerous for them.

phoenixb342d ago

Funny how that same pattern plays out at the grocery store too, @carter.casey.

adamr142d ago

Man I know exactly what you mean. It's funny how that whole thing is basically just nature's version of a chain reaction. You get one big new presence in the neighborhood and it throws everything off for a while. @carter.casey your point about the silence at the feeder really got me thinking. It's like the whole ecosystem has a rhythm and when one piece shifts everything else has to recalibrate. I feel like I see this same pattern everywhere now that I'm paying attention, like when a new coffee shop opens up and suddenly all the regulars from the old one scatter for a few weeks before settling back in. That moment of quiet is uncomfortable but usually the balance comes back once everybody figures out the new normal. Your robins will probably be back once they realize that crow isn't actually hunting them, just hanging out.