I was watching my kids play on the sidewalk when I looked up and saw a crow sitting on the telephone wire. The crow sat with its head turned to one side, observing us with one friendly black eye.
I'm not a bird expert or a birdwatcher, but crows intrigue me. Since that day, I have become friends with the neighborhood crows, and I've learned a thing or two along the way.
The best way to introduce yourself to a crow is by feeding it. I'm sure there are other ways to go about it, but the easiest and fastest way to a crow's heart is food. Some may argue that a crow is a wild animal and by feeding it, you encourage the unnatural dependence. And to most wildlife, this is an excellent philosophy. But crows and humans have been living side by side for centuries, and researchers like Marzluff and Angell, who wrote In the Company of Crows and Ravens, point to many examples of cultural co﹣evolution (共同进化) between us. It's been a rather symbiotic (共生的) relationship for quite a while.
Certainly, humans' and crows' lives and histories have become closely related. I moved to this neighborhood in this small city 5 years ago. I'm relatively new here, but the crows in my neighborhood may have lived here for many years. They've watched people come and go for years - people who may have watched them right back.
So anyway, we're neighbors, and feeding is the neighborly thing to do.
