As noted in earlier posts here and in prior blogs over the years, I’m a big fan of Corvids, the bird family that includes such smart, feisty, year-round denizens of these parts as crows, ravens and jays. I also like the Icterids, most especially the Grackles, but they aren’t generally around at this time of year.

I’ve been delighted to have a large murder of American Crows wintering in and around our back yard this year, apparently enjoying the aftermath of the ice storm, as broken trees reveal and expose new tasty things within, and create new places to perch and ponder. They are such intelligent, curious, clever animals, and I’m happy to share my yard with them; click thumbnails to enlarge.

Rosie the Cat, however, does not share my enthusiasm. She sits on her scratching tower making the chattering noise that cats make when they can see prey, but can’t get at it (left). She’s quite obsessed with policing the back yard, which is nice, in that I don’t have to look for the Crows’ arrival, but just wait for the Rosie Alarm to go off, and then quietly creep in to see what she’s spotted. That’ll do, Crow Detecting Cat. That’ll do.