Am I related to this crow??

Across from the bench where my dog and I rest midway in our daily walk, a boisterous crow struts along a roof ridge voicing her opinions like some street corner protestor. She squawks about the quality of seeds found in this gutter, the warmth of the dark asphalt shingles beneath her feet—and maybe her lack of a mate? Unlike most crows around here, she seems to lack chums. Perhaps because no other crow can get a caw in edgewise? Or is she an outcast crow, shunned by her former mob for avian atrocities? It could be she hogged bread heels left by the friendly woman in the corner house. Maybe she discovered my cache of sunflower seeds and failed to share the news. Or perhaps she lagged behind the nightly exodus to the group roost and chose instead to gaze at the moonrise. Did she converse with a young girl and dare to light on her outstretched arm? Or did she learn a new tongue from a migratory goose?

I find her chatty and responsive. When I copy her sequence of caws, she replies with a different number, testing my acuity. After a dialogue of six or so phrases, I’m the one who tosses up a different number. And though she pauses to scan the sky, she proceeds to mimic my observation. Though I have no idea what the subject of our discussion is—other than I’m here and I acknowledge you’re here too—I do enjoy our exchange. I feel a strong connection, even though she could easily be a he. No racial slur intended, but all crows do look alike.

So what sin against her species did she commit?

Or is she simply, like me, her own bird?

A solitary wanderer without flock or foes, free to speak her mind wherever the wind moves her. Maybe she, too, is really a night owl, eschewing the adage about the early bird, preferring to sleep until the sun warms her world.

I hope that’s it—as long as she’s happy, as long as she’s not lonely, as long as she has her own snug roost tucked away in some cedar tree. If she follows me home I’ll offer her a feast of peanut butter on a whole wheat roll.

From one kindred spirit to another.