[Tweeters] Raptors at Play ... and crows

[jimbetz at jimbetz.com]

Hi - continuing the thread ...

   Late last week there was an 'encounter' between what was probably a Merlin
and a Crow.  The crow was mobbing/harassing the Merlin which was  
sitting on the
roof ridge right below our house.  Finally the Merlin moved but the crow
continued to hassle it.  Then the Merlin went after the crow ... which flew
into a tree and the Merlin broke off and perched in the same tree several
branches below.  The crow then took flight and turned and went after the
Merlin (below).  The Merlin took off and chased the crow.  Back and forth
two more times for 3 or 4 total 'encounters' (exchanges) between these two
birds.  Finally the Merlin left the area and the crow didn't pursue.

   I interpreted this as "territorial" ... although it makes little sense
since there are no active crows nests in the area.  (Sorry, couldn't
resist using "Crows Nest" - my nautical background kicking in.)  But
crows do -seem- to be territorial from time to time without an active
nest.
   In fact, I saw a pair of crows in New Westminster just yesterday and I'd
swear on a stack of bibles that it was the same two birds I'd seen at the
same location (street in front of home in residential area) months ago.
The "bibles" comes from the way these two 'related' to each other with
one clearly the dominant and the second 'fawning' to its object of
interest (the dominant one) and following it around and doing the same
stuff it did months ago at the same location.  Both times I was parked
on the same street in the same location and there were two crows that
were 'messing about' (not courting - just "doing stuff") and were
clearly 'together'.  Perhaps a more accurate description would be that
one was following the other around and the one being followed was
tolerating the other.  But then, every once in a while you would see a
"bill clattering" between the two of them.

   Q: Do crows take up residence in an area that is fairly specific?  And
      stay there/reappear there over a period of months?

   The encounter(s) reported above did not -seem- to be play.  They seemed
to be "reciprocative mobbing" in the first case and 'hanging out together'
in the second case.
                                                              - Jim