Comments on: Quid Pro Crow: Gardening Alongside Wildlife

By: Ed Scott

Ed Scott — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 01:30:48 +0000

I heard part of your New Dimensions interview on crows and loved what I heard. I am downloading the Real Audio player now so I can hear it all. I’ll look for your book.

You are probably aware that ET Seton wrote a crow story, “Silverspot” in his “Wild Animals I Have Known” which in 1898 was to kids as iPods and cell phones are today – the number one form of kid entertainment at the turn of the century. I know that ET Seton has been considered too anthropomorphic by modern standards but I think his way of writing brought many kids to observe animals more closely in his day and your interview reminded me of the joy I felt at discovering his writing as a youth. I HTMLed the Silverspot story and used to have it at a website. Here in Taos, NM we have crows and their cousins the Magpies. Both are fun to watch. My wife shooooooos the Magpies away because they attack songbird nests but they are so beautifully colored to watch in flight.

By: lyanda

lyanda — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:20:17 +0000

Thanks! It’s just made from scraps of pruned backyard trees–lilac and myrtle, mostly.

By: Erica

Erica — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:10:13 +0000

I do admire your very beautiful pea trellis. What is it made from?

By: Nete

Nete — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:22:30 +0000

Thank you for the hilarious picture of the gap in the row of peas due to the crow pilfering. The whole story made me laugh!

By: lyanda

lyanda — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 04:21:53 +0000

Thanks Ed. Hey, do you know why the Violet-green Swallows show up so much later in our West Seattle neighborhood? We never see them until May.

By: lyanda

lyanda — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 04:19:10 +0000

Thanks so much Janet! I think the sweet peas are safe. Adult crows don’t bother non-food plants very often. The fledglings sometimes pull out sprouting plants, just for fun (one year they pulled out all my little carrots, and laid them in a row). But our sweet peas will be big by then!

By: Ed

Ed — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 03:28:14 +0000

It’s so true. I really like Merlins, what an exciting bird to watch fly with it’s incredible speed and agility. But a couple days ago we were out for a walk right by our house and one zipped by. Not a welcome sight at all because we’ve got Violet-green Swallows that have staked out our nest box. The last thing we want is a damn Merlin in the neighborhood.

Great Blog,

By: Janet Knowlton

Janet Knowlton — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 23:49:14 +0000

What about our SWEET PEAS?

Do you think they are safe?
The tender little shoots are JUST raising their sweet little “heads”.
I LOVE your blog!
Janet