I have a thing about crows. These highly intelligent birds are very social, and they roost in large groups and then fan out during the day. We have a trio that arrives in our yard most winter mornings, and we suspect that they spent the night roosting in Springfield with a few thousand of their friends living the “safety in numbers “motto. The trio is no longer anchored to our piece of property but believe me I am looking for them any time I drive through town. Sometimes I hear them harassing a bird of prey on the top of a tree or I catch them in flight as the sun gets low in the sky. And when the crows are not to be found, I think of their larger cousin the Raven who is also seen in town. Both crows and ravens are part of the Corvidae family and share many characteristics. It can be hard to tell the two species apart. The raven is larger, usually pairs up with just one partner, and his call is deeper than the cawing of the crow, sounding more like a one syllable “gronk.” So, keep your eyes peeled when you see these large birds. Ravens are known to hold territories, are intelligent and use teamwork to solve problems or to find food. And if that is not impressive enough, according to my research they are acrobats in flight. One was even documented as flying upside down for over a half mile. An activity like that is not for the faint of heart.
Photo by Joan Heffernan
Remembering Lester Smith
Over the years I have been amassing a collection of crow artwork done by artists here in Suffield. I purchased the last one at an open arts night at the studio on Burbank Avenue. The crow in that frame seems pleased to be reunited with other crows on my walls. I have several which hang near my desk, and when I am in the throes of writer’s block these crows peer at me from their canvases hoping that I will resume the clickity clack on the typewriter. They and their big personalities are egging me on. Sometimes I just stare back contemplating all things Corvidae. And as Halloween approaches, there is something about both crows and ravens that ties into the spooky ambiance of the last days of October. My most recent crow artwork has quite a prominent shadow lurking which really promotes that feeling. His is a stunning shadow, but shadows can be creepy. Although I suppose Halloween is as good a time as ever to bring that creepiness on.
So, it is time to cue in the “Monster Mash” and go out and buy bag after bag of Kit Kats to prepare for Halloween. And when I do this, I find myself thinking of ghosts, Frankenstein and of course our favorite Corvidae birds, especially the raven.
I am reminded of my dear friend Lester Smith and his rendition of Poe’s version of The Raven. He won the award as top orator in his high school class and had committed much of the poem to memory. When Lester was on his last lap, I spent Mondays with him as he was a good audience, a good storyteller and so much more. Those hours spent together were a gift and one with a lasting impact. With a little prompting, I could get him to launch into The Raven in the king’s English and it made all the limericks and simple poems that I had committed to memory seem lame. I can still hear him starting with “once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary…” Seems like Lester was pretty good at setting the scene, with a little help from Poe and the image of a raven dancing in our heads. I was all ears when Lester started his recitation and couldn’t help but wonder if he remembered me as a little girl when he used to come to our house with his boys for a Guides meeting. I was hiding behind the couch as I had been known to do and completely tongue tied. And here I was, decades later sharing my morning with the ultimate orator. He may have lost a few words, and I may have gained some, but he still had the upper hand. To prove I was listening to Lester’s recitation from start to finish, I tried to make Poe’s raven and Lester proud by adding “Nevermore” to my daily vocabulary, but I just couldn’t pull that off.