Crows

I have always loved crows and I thought this was the sweetest story.

 Yes, I've started decorating and this year I used some of my crow collection.  These cast iron crows sit on some properly themed books.  Click for a closer look. The middle book stack is comprised of some of my personally bound witch books.

 I also put out my Fall pillows.

 I have collected some interesting crow pieces over the years.

 I actually have a whole set of handmade crow dishes which I bought from an artist in western NY years ago.

These are a few of the pieces. 

Written and compiled by George Knowles

One Crow for sorrow,

Two Crows for mirth;

Three Crows for a wedding,

Four Crows for a birth;

Five Crows for silver,

Six Crows for gold;

Seven Crows for a secret, not to be told;

Eight Crows for heaven,

Nine Crows for hell;

And ten Crows for the devils own self.

The Crow is any of several large black birds belonging to the family of Passerine birds that comprise the genus Corvus, which include:  Jays, Magpies, Nutcrackers, Jackdaws and Ravens.  They can be found on every continent except South America and Antarctica, but some, especially those found on islands, are endangered and their habits little known.  Northern-hemisphere crows are sometimes migratory, but most often they stay resident the year round. 

Crows in many respects are very similar to the Raven in appearance, but are smaller and less heavily billed.  Like the Ravens, Crows are among the most intelligent and adaptable of birds and several species have been able to thrive near humans.  Crows grow to about 50cm (20 inches) long and are commonly coloured a glossy black, they can live up to 13 years in the wild and more than 20 years in captivity.  The typical call of Crow is a loud and harsh “caw-caw-caw” or “crah-crah-crah” sound, which is characteristic for each species.  Some pet Crows even “speak”, and in laboratory conditions some have learned to count to three or four and find food in boxes marked with symbols. 

Crows are gregarious birds and at times roost together in great numbers, when wintering, a single flock can number many thousands.  In literary terms, the collective noun for a group of crows is a “murder”, however most people today and especially scientists, use the more generic term of “flock” or “horde”  Each mating pair will have its own nest, which is usually built high up in tall trees and made of sticks and twigs.  Here the female will lay and incubate three to eight greenish-to-olive eggs, which when hatched, both parents then care for the young.