Living here in New England, crows are as commonplace as Dunkins. However, in the past few months, they’ve been popping up so much that they caught my full attention. This morning, I finally grabbed my handy copy of Animal-Speak and looked them up. I always knew they were pretty magical, but what I read especially resonated with me. However, before I share what I found, these are the simple, not particularly heart-fluttering moments with these birds that nonetheless, piqued my curiosity.
When the first crow-incident happened, I didn’t even realize the birds in question were a type of crow. About three months ago (late October, 2014), the eldest hollered from the kitchen, “Momma, check it out. There’s a ton of birds outside.” Sure enough, there was a huge flock of black birds having a party on the lawn. It wasn’t until I grabbed my camera and snapped a few shots that I noticed they weren’t simply black. They had the most gorgeous shades of blue around their heads –
I saw them frequently for the next week or so, but even after noticing their cool coloring, I never bothered to figure out what kind of bird they were. In fact, I’d forgotten about them until I happened upon the above pictures today, while looking for the crow pictures I took a few days ago. I discovered, thanks to Whatbird.com, they were Grackles (a grouping of which is amusingly called, an “Annoyance”).
Which brings me to the next crow-incidents. When the temps bottomed out last week, I started tossing bread out for the birds (as you can see in my previous post, Aviary funny joke *grin*). In short order, I noticed a pair of crows hanging around the house. They always seemed to be watching through the windows, or flying past as I walked by. One morning when I went out with the bread, I noticed the two of them in a nearby tree, watching me.
Before I threw the bread, the bigger crow started cawing at me. I assumed it was a, “warning, two-footed creature approaches!” kind of thing, but then the smaller one answered back, and the big one made a sentence-like reply. My guess was –
Bigs – “What are you doing out here, Two-Foot?”
Smalls – “I think she has bread for us, dear.”
Bigs – “That is an acceptable reason. Carry on.”
So naturally I called across the yard, “Enjoy!”
Since then, Bigs and Smalls fly graceful circles around the house daily, hanging out long enough to shout hello, then they disappear back into the woods with their munchies.
This morning, when I went out with bread, there was no sign of them (not unusual). By the time I’d gotten back inside and sat down at the computer, Bigs was outside my window. He stood next to the bread and said, “Raisin toast. What a delightful treat,” while Smalls watched from a nearby tree.
On to the magical significance of these visitors. The Grackles showed up in October just about the time I was finally feeling human again, after my long battle with depression and vitamin deficiencies. Funny enough, they represent overcoming emotional congestion, and are supposed to show us how to constructively deal with our emotions and find positive balance and creativity in the process (my paraphrasing totally doesn’t do justice to Ted’s description).
Crows… well, let’s just say the entry for them is twice as long as the Grackles. I’m going to boil it all down to his quote at the end – “Wherever crows are, there is magic. They are symbols of creation and spiritual strength. They remind us to look for opportunities to create and manifest the magic of life. They are messengers calling to us about the creation and magic that is alive within our world everyday and available to us.”
Having this beautiful pair of birds connecting with me at this point in time, when I’m rediscovering my writing, my magic, and my mojo, is an amazing affirmation that I’m on the right path. A path I will continue to cover in bread crumbs as I travel along – not to find my way back, but to repay those who are helping me move forward in my journey.
Now if you’ll excuse me – someone is cawing outside my window again… *grin*
***UPDATE***
On January 20th, Bigs & Smalls invited two other couples over for bread-fest, but the Blue Jays got there first. Bigs sat outside my bedroom window and scolded me, but still managed to smile for the camera.
I often thought I was perhaps being silly, but there have been times when I’ve visited my Granddad’s and Dad’s graves that there were two crows just hanging around nearby. I don’t know why, but it felt as though it was my Grandad and Dad but I cannot explain it. I have arguments with myself where one side (my logical brain) says I’m making something of nothing, and then the other side (my heart) says otherwise. I find birds to be very spiritual animals anyway. Again, not something I can explain but I feel very drawn to them 🙂
Don’t worry about explaining, Jo – I completely get what you’re saying. I feel that any time you feel the spirit of a loved one around you, you should tell your logical brain to hush and enjoy the moment (at least, that’s what I’ve started doing in recent years). I agree, birds are very spiritual, and connecting with them has helped me in many ways. Thanks so much for sharing your story, and I hope you have many more crow (and other) visits!
Wonderful post on the birds.
Thanks, Jes!
I felt compelled to comment something like The Birds (film) or even that myths about seeing crows and certain omens upon the Grim Reaper prevail upon a google search…just saying… I mean its the sort of thing I’d write about don’t; you know 🙂
LOL! Yes, Gary – I do know. But remember, I’m the scary witch, so those sorts of things just kind of… flock… to me. *wicked grin*
Ha, ha…thought you’d appreciate that! And now you can also feature in my new idea along with Juls…..
Ooooo… intriguing…. 😀
I rather like the concept as it happens…very dark and rich in psychological disturbances 🙂
I love the photo of bigs! He looks like he is smiling. 😀
Thanks, josypheen! I know it makes me smile every time I see it! 😀
I have no idea why, probably from a book or two in my youth, but every time I see a crow I have a tingly feeling in my scalp. As if they are messengers saying “watch out! something needs your attention.” I don’t know if some other force is at work, or if it’s just my brain offered an opportunity to tune my awareness through seeing the crow as a trigger-rather than a spiritual messenger. Either way, though, I love your grackle experience and what it meant for you. And no matter what, I look forward to seeing these winged-reminders to keep my eyes, and my heart, wide open.
That’s awesome, Angela – thanks for sharing that with me. If you ever have any crow/bird encounters of your own, I’d love to hear about them!
I’ve just developed a new found respect for crows. They are one of those birds we see all the time (although not the Grackles – the blue on their heads is beautiful and not something I’ve seen before). I’ll be looking at them differently from now on, it’ll be interesting to see what I discover. Sx
The more I learn about crows, the more impressed I am. I’m hoping to redo this post at some point in time, as these photos were all taken with my old camera. Can’t wait to hear about your future discoveries! <3
While, I know crows to be magical messengers, for the last couple of days, I too have had a pair of crows hanging out. Instead of waiting for food, these two have entertained me with their aeronautical maneuvers. Several times I thought to myself to do a little divine research to see if there is a message there. Thanks Traci. Love this story. I have never seen a Grackle before.
You’re very welcome, Diana! I’ve found my crows tend to be hams sometimes too, as well as the unofficial body guards of the Avian Eatery (they’re forever chasing the hawks away). Looks like you’ve been getting your own magical messages! 🙂