Marilyn's PHotos - Dec 20 2025 - How Smart is a Crow?

 

Christmas is almost here, and instead of thinking about Christmas, I wonder about how smart a crow is.  And what’s the difference between a crow and a raven.   Crows are said to be among the most intelligent birds, with comparable cognitive abilities as a 7-year-old for problem-solving, tool use and social learning.  One article says that’s similar to gorillas and chimps.   I wondered about crows vs ravens the other week when a large black bird made unusual sounds on a light standard. It did not sound like a crow at all, so brought up the question of whether there are ravens in Niagara?  The answer is yes, and they overwinter.   I’ve never seen a crow or raven at our bird feeders.  I don’t see many crows or ravens at all - mostly they stay away from us. It is interesting that most of the articles are about keeping “pesky” crows away from your feeders rather than attracting them. That “pesky” designation comes because they are smart and are able to open feeders, knock them down and have other tactics to get at the food inside.   Here’s the crow joke of the day: “The RCMP found over 100 dead crows on Alberta highways recently, and there was concern that they may have died from Avian Flu. A Pathologist examined the remains of all the crows, and, to everyone's relief, confirmed the problem was NOT Avian Flu. The cause of death appeared to be from vehicular impacts. However, during analysis it was noted that varying colours of paints appeared on the bird's beaks and claws. By analysing these paint residues it was found that 98% of the crows had been killed by impact with motorbikes, while only 2% were killed by cars. The RCMP then hired an Ornithological Behaviourist to determine if there was a cause for the disproportionate percentages of motorbike kills versus car kills. The Ornithological Behaviourist quickly concluded that when crows eat road kill, they always have a look-out crow to warn of danger. They discovered that while all the lookout crows could shout "Cah", not a single one could shout "bike.” You can find pictures of this style of tourist signs all over the world.  This is the Niagara winery version in a winter setting.

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Oct 14 2021 - Fictional Facts

 

"From St. Martin’s Press, Brent Spiner’s debut novel, Fan Fiction, tells the story of a 30-something actor named “Brent Spiner,” who is suddenly thrust into global stardom all because he’s playing a loveable android on a TV series called Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1991. Yes, all of those details check out with reality in our universe, but instead of writing “some dry memoir,” Spiner opted instead to use the real events of 1991 and mold it into a full-on darkly comedic funhouse mirror. It results in a murder-mystery caper equal parts Coen Brothers and Charlie Kaufman. Spiner cites the meta-fictional of the films Adaptation and Being John Malkovich as some of his stylistic inspiration." Star Marina Sirtis got married in 1992 and there are lots of pictures of Marina Sirtis' 'real-life' wedding  with Star Trek cast members in attendance.   In the middle of those pictures is an interloper from the movie where Riker and Troi marry - these pictures are titled Wedding Album Star Trek Nemesis.   It seems to mimic Spiner's novel -doesn't it get confusing!  Maybe not, given what all the members of the wedding party are wearing.   There are decades worth of Star Trek jokes: How do you stop from falling out of a Bird of Prey? You just have to Klingon. Picard was devastated to have accidentally broken Dr. Crusher's antique sewing machine. It seemed it was beyond repair until Data said he had detailed files and could fix it, to which Picard replied, "Mr. Data, make it sew." What do you call two science officers having an argument? Science Friction! Why did the Borg cross the road? Because it assimilated the chicken!

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