Wild crow has amazing interaction with human
Wild crow has amazing interaction with human
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00:00 Come on Sharky!
00:01 Sharky and I have been going on walks together since 2021.
00:04 Come on, baby!
00:05 Yay!
00:06 [laughs]
00:07 She also sits with me in the garden while I read in the summer.
00:10 Let's go!
00:11 We just kind of hang out.
00:12 [laughs]
00:13 [music]
00:14 I'm Kira Jane Buxton, and this is Sharky's story for GeoBeats.
00:18 It started when I befriended a crow named T.
00:21 [crows cawing]
00:22 We had a five-year friendship, and she passed away in 2021.
00:26 And I didn't think I could get close to crows again because I was so heartbroken.
00:32 But on a walk, I started to get followed by another crow,
00:35 and Sharky wiggled her way into my heart.
00:38 [music]
00:41 Now we're pretty closely bonded.
00:43 It's cold.
00:44 Hi, Sharky!
00:45 [music]
00:46 She follows me on walks with the dogs, and I adore her.
00:49 They're synanthropic birds.
00:50 They live alongside humans.
00:52 There's the reciprocity of respect we have.
00:55 I think we're both curious about each other's lives,
00:57 and I feel very privileged to know a wild crow.
01:00 Hi, guys!
01:01 And I give peanuts to the Stellar's Jays.
01:03 That started happening because they saw how much time I was spending with the crows,
01:08 and they actually ended up doing impressions of crows at me
01:12 to try and convince me to give them peanuts.
01:15 [laughs]
01:16 [music]
01:17 [crow cawing]
01:19 [music]
01:21 There's another couple of crows that come by,
01:23 and they don't seem to want to be closer.
01:26 Sharky is very different in that she will come by
01:30 and sit in the backyard with me while I'm reading,
01:33 and she won't ask for food.
01:35 Hi, Sharky. Good morning.
01:37 Hello, hello.
01:38 Oftentimes, she brings food from somewhere else,
01:41 somewhere she's getting bread from.
01:42 I can get it.
01:43 She brings that bread and puts it in my fountain,
01:46 and she often leaves it there.
01:47 So I don't know if she's leaving me little offerings of bread
01:50 or if she's just saving it for later.
01:52 [music]
01:53 Malu is her male partner.
01:56 He's very handsome.
01:57 He is quiet, and he's shy.
01:59 He's always on the periphery watching Sharky interact with me.
02:03 Hi, guys.
02:04 [music]
02:05 Malu and Sharky.
02:07 Hi, Sharky. Good morning.
02:08 Rarely do I see them separated.
02:11 They are a very devoted pair.
02:13 That's Sharky.
02:14 He always allows her to eat first.
02:16 He's a very good partner to her.
02:18 Good morning, Malu.
02:19 It was very special to meet Sharky's fledgling.
02:22 An extraordinary honor to have them brought to you as the human,
02:26 which is a risk to the fledgling pro.
02:28 Sharky, you have a baby so cute.
02:31 What a cute baby you have.
02:33 I have met two so far,
02:36 and she brings them when they're already able to fly.
02:39 I keep my distance from them because it's better for him
02:42 to have a healthy fear of humans.
02:44 [music]
02:50 I'm pretty sure I know exactly where Sharky roosts.
02:53 In the summer months, she's going to be roosting
02:56 in one of the evergreens near my house.
02:58 In the winter months, she's actually flying every night
03:01 with her partner, Malu, and over 16,000 other crows
03:05 to the University of Bothell campus.
03:08 They meet in what they call a pre-roost aggregate,
03:11 which is like them discussing the day and downloading.
03:14 And then they all go into the wetlands,
03:17 the North Creek Wetland Restoration Area,
03:19 which is a wonderful project that the University of Washington
03:23 has done to re-wild an area.
03:25 And the crows roost there, all together in the trees.
03:28 I see Sharky in the mornings.
03:30 If she wants me to come out, she'll peer into the window.
03:32 She'll wait patiently for me, and then I'll come out and join her.
03:35 Hi, honey.
03:37 Every afternoon, and sometimes in the evening as well,
03:40 she'll join me on the walks.
03:42 Both of my dogs behave very well around the crows.
03:44 [crows croaking]
03:46 If we encounter somebody else that gets too close,
03:48 she'll just lift up to a signpost or a tree
03:50 and then join me as soon as that person's passed.
03:53 Look at you.
03:54 That gives me peace of mind, because I know she's not going to go up
03:57 to somebody that isn't safe or that's afraid of crows.
03:59 Sharky.
04:00 OK, let's go.
04:01 Spending time with her is almost like a meditation.
04:04 I'm sort of walking away from the world of human woes,
04:07 and I'm present with her, and it's peaceful.
04:10 I get mixed reactions when people see Sharky.
04:13 A lot of times, people actually don't see her.
04:15 They're looking at their phone, and they don't really notice.
04:18 And the other experience is, I've been walking along,
04:21 and Sharky's hopping alongside me,
04:23 and a woman across the street said,
04:25 "Ma'am! Ma'am! There's a bird following you!"
04:28 [laughs]
04:29 I had to say, "It's OK, it's my friend."
04:30 [crowd cheering]
04:32 Oh, honey.
04:33 It's so cold.
04:35 Hitchcock made a great movie with the birds.
04:37 But it doesn't really represent them that well.
04:39 Good morning, sweetheart.
04:40 Let's go, guys.
04:41 Let's go!
04:43 Let's go, Sharky.
04:45 Sharky, come on.
04:47 I'm not able to touch her.
04:49 I want to smell Sharky.
04:50 I suspect I could probably try,
04:52 but I've never felt with Sharky that that's necessary.
04:56 They're wild birds, and I want to respect that.
04:59 Come on, honey.
05:00 [laughs]
05:02 Her running along next to me is very satisfying,
05:05 and I get to see her up close.
05:07 I get to admire her beautiful feathers
05:09 and get to know her behaviors and her vocalizations,
05:12 and that's enough for me.
05:14 Hi!
05:15 Am I late this morning?
05:16 She seems to always know where I am.
05:18 It's gotten to the point where I'm so used to her
05:23 joining me on walks that if I don't see her,
05:25 I worry a bit.
05:27 And so I'll call for her, and she knows her name,
05:30 and she'll come flying down from the evergreens around.
05:32 [horn honks]
05:35 [horn honks]
05:36 Good landing, honey.
05:38 Come on. Let's go.
05:40 I can recognize her call as well.
05:45 She has a very distinctive call that, to me,
05:48 I joke it's like a Marge Simpson voice.
05:50 It's kind of husky.
05:51 [bird squawks]
05:52 When the temperature dips or becomes very, very hot,
05:55 there is a big temptation to intervene,
05:57 but I try to help in the least invasive way in her life.
06:01 So in the hot summer months, I'll leave out fresh water for her,
06:04 but they're tough birds,
06:05 able to withstand a lot of different environments and temperatures.
06:09 I'm so inspired by these birds.
06:11 I ended up writing a book with a crow as a character.
06:14 Come on, Sharky. Come with us. Let's go.
06:16 People have said to me, "Oh, you're like Snow White,"
06:18 but I don't think that's it.
06:19 It's all there for us to engage with.
06:21 They're right outside your door,
06:23 and they expand your experience of the world.
06:26 [clanking]
06:27 It's sort of like being part of this bright, living language
06:30 and this great reminder that we're part of nature.
06:33 I do worry about what would happen if Sharky suddenly stopped showing up,
06:38 but that's the price to pay for loving a wild crow.
06:41 [clanking]
06:42 [bird squawks]
06:43 My friend Sharky.
06:45 [bird squawks]
06:46 [music]
06:52 (upbeat music)