My friends asked me why the fascination with crows. It was interesting that while writing Crows Calling, I was having a very tough time coming up with the title. About midway through the manuscript, one morning, I was in our hot tub, when a large group of crows gathered on the branches in the pecan tree in our back yard. They were making an excessive racket. I said, "listen to the crows calling". Needless, to say, the title of this book wrote itself.

During the time that I was writing Crows Calling, after coming up with the title, I noticed crows cawing, calling to me, as if to say, ‘get on with it’. Meaning to finish the book.

Just before sending the manuscript to the publisher, I took a trip to Santa Fe for the Indian market. I was amazed at how many crows and ravens I saw in the artwork of the Native American Indians. It is my belief that both the raven and the crow are very spiritual creatures that bring messages to those that can hear with their ‘inner ear’.

Ravens and crows belong to the Corvidae, or "crow", family of birds.

The crow is said to the "Einstein" of the aviary world. Any scarecrow which remains in the same place for several days, quickly becomes a perch, rather than a warning sing. The cartoon ‘Heckel and Jeckyl’ captures the mischievous antics which are infuriating as well as humorous.

I spoke to a Native American about a painting he did of two crows, while in Santa Fe at the art show. His face lit up as he told me the story of his inspiration of his painting. He was watching a young crow struggle, trying to open a bag of fries in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant. The mother crow watched for a while, until the baby crow gave up and pushed the bag over to his mom for help. The mother crow picked up the bag of fries, flew up about ten feet in the air, and dropped it. The bag split open and there were fries everywhere, and lunch was served.

A Gathering of Crows

From an old Scottish rhyme

1 Crow bad news

2 Crows mirth

3 Crows a wedding

4 Crows a birth

5 Crows for riches

6 Crows a thief

7 Crows a journey

8 Crows for grief

9 Crows a secret

10 Crows for sorrow

11 Crows for love

12 Crows good day after.

Crow Terms

crow-bait A worn-out horse

The predecessor to the scarecrow; a boy hired to chase crows away.

crow-bed A term used to describe an impure bed of mineral, such as limestone, coal, and the like. Crow-gold would be another term for pyrite.

crow-eater A person lazy enough to eat anything rather than work.

crows'-meat Roadkill, carrion, leftovers - food for crows.

crow-pick The person who sorts stones and miscellany from coal.

Diet of the crow

Crows will eat just about anything. You are bound to find them feasting at fast food restaurant parking lots. They will eat bugs, worms, roadkill, mice, berries, corn, and a variety of other tasty treats. An adult crow needs 11 ounces of food each day. Many people believe that crows damage farm crops. This is not always true. Crows often eat harmful insects, benefitting farmers.

Corvus Constellation

The Raven.

On day the Sun-god, Apollo, sent his pet raven down to Earth to bring the thirsty god a cup of fresh water.  Apollo's sacred raven was not a very dependable bird.  On arriving at the spring the raven saw that a fig tree was just beginning to bear fruit.

  "What matter if I wait only a few days until the fruit ripens?" the raven asked itself.  And it waited.  When the fruit ripened the raven then stayed several more days eating the fruit until it was all gone.  He then filled the cup with fresh spring water but realized that his master would be angry for the long delay.  Then he noticed a water-serpent nearby and grasped it in his claws.  So with cup in mouth and serpent dangling from his claws, the raven flew up to Heaven.  He explained to Apollo that the serpent had attacked him and that is what caused the delay.

    Apollo was not taken in by the lie.  And he was so angry with the bird that he flung him, cup and serpent out of Heaven. Today we see them together in the sky as Crater, the Cup, and Corvus, the Raven, perched on the serpent's back.  This myth gave rise to two alternate manes for Corvus as a constellation: Avis Ficarius, or "the Fig Bird," and Emansor, or "One Who Lingers Too Long." For the Greeks, this story explains why, of all birds, the raven does not carry water to its young.

Crow Stories

Crow Totems