I want to explore the relationship between humans and nature through my process of befriending a crow. I have heard stories that its possible, and I desire to achieve this. We are not so separate from nature, and in these daily interactions I am having with a wild animal, I intend on proving this.
It's funny because when I had the idea to befriend a crow, I thought it would be a good way to demonstrate how humans and nature are connected in our day to day lives. Now that I am thinking of it a little deeper and actually giving it an attempt, I am starting to think that my wanting to befriend a crow is actually a good reflection of how society already interacts with nature, and it's very much human centered. My idea to befriend a crow came from my human desire to foster that connection, not from an actual mutual relationship that would exist in nature. I had this desire, and I thought that as a human, I would be able to have some kind of control over this situation to get what I wanted. I think maybe I need to let go of the idea of befriending a crow and focus more on just appreciating the nature around me and being thankful I get to observe these crows in nature.
Today I left food out for the crows for the first time. When I went to the feed store yesterday, I was chatting with the owner about my plan to befriend a crow and he gave me some really good tips for earning their trust. First and foremost, he said to put the food out on an elevated platform so the crows feel safe coming into my backyard. If the food is up high, they know I won't be able to get to them, and they will be more likely to check out the food and eat some. Secondly, he said to give them a lot of space at first to feel comfortable. He said that crows are very timid animals, and that it is going to take a long time to earn their trust, but the key is consistency. I put some peanuts out on a large plank of wood on top of some scaffolding about head high in my backyard. Hopefully tomorrow the peanuts I left are gone.
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