Busy shopper at the Crow's Nest Supply Banana Trunk Outlet, NE Portland!

Steppin' out to shop till I drop!



Ah, there's what I was lookin' for!



Gotta get myownself completely behind it! Pull, pull, pull for all I'm worth!



Just about got it now! Shiftin' the feet, turnin' the beak!



Step back! Keep on pullin'!



Whoopsie daisy! Readjust. Tighten up.



Good thing I'm a flexible crow! I don't want to let go!



Drat! Seems I don't know my own strength while trying to get some length.



How do I hold onto this and pick up that?



One step at a time, it's old hat!



Gettin' closer now!



X marks the spot!



Operatin' the calculator in my head, along with the slide rule that is my beak. How much more can I hold onto while I pull away, then carry back to the tree today?



Measure twice, cut once. My motto as a nest builder.



Goin' in for the grab!



Pull! Where's the spouse when needed, I ask you!



I'm close to spent, y'all! Whew.



One last look. Could I get a bit more on my own?



Nope, I've finished and flown. Got away without that crazy photographer shootin' me in flight, ha, ha!

Another sign of spring

Outside my window at work, for the first year, I'm seeing crows in the sweet gum trees. This one in particular found a twig to grab with its beak. Surely it must be building a nest somewhere.

The film on the window made the photos not a clear as they'd have been otherwise, but the film on the window helped me get these photos--the crow didn't get startled and fly away.

Could I look this graceful while holding something in my mouth, balanced three stories up from the sidewalk? No way!


Here's the first one I took. It appears the crow has peeled the outer layer of bark from the twig, there on both sides of the beak.




The crow amazed me, standing there holding the twig, sort of looking around, then turning.


Then it moved a bit to the left.


Still moving, it went closer to the center of the tree.


And then it bent over and put the twig beneath on of its feet!


See? There it is, being held with the crow's right foot!


I couldn't believe it. The crow took the twig back into is beak!






It worked hard to get where it wanted to go, twig in mouth, feathers spread for balance. What tenacity!


Here's the last photo in the series. I think the crow looks jubilant.


A plus for you, at least I hope you think so, is this photo of four crows I saw on April 2. I wonder who's Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister?