[Tweeters] Wanted to share my backyard encounter with a dead crow, in case anyone else has recently experienced the same....I live in Thurston County close by Steamboat Island Road

[Betty Watson]

Yesterday morning (July 8) around 6:00 a.m., I started outside to change
bird water containers.  Before I even went outside, however, I could hear
at least 2, possibly 3, crows squawking loudly and continuously while
perched close by--very raucous and loud.  The noisy crows piqued my
interest and after changing and refreshing the water containers, I checked
nearby and soon discovered a nearly dead crow, feet up, in my strawberry
bed. Its visible blue eye stared blankly and blinked slowly once or twice
as I observed. In the time it took to go inside to fetch a glove and
garbage bag, it had died. Its blue eye was now white-lidded; the body
motionless and stiff.

The crow appeared to me to be a juvenile or sub-adult due to its smaller
size though it could have simply been extremely malnourished--it felt
pretty light when I picked it up. The crow's exterior appeared intact,
undamaged and whole.  Once I removed the body, the adult crows stopped
squawking and flew away.  (I had this eerie sense that the crows dropped
this sick bird off, because I have never ever seen a crow in my strawberry
bed box before.) (Just sayin')

I reported to WDFW, using their website form.  It's now been 24 hours and I
am officially disposing of the body in my garbage can.  Am keeping a keen
eye on my visiting feathered friends and so far nobody else appears sick or
strange-acting. Also reporting on my community's NextDoor in case this is
not a one-off.

Betty
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