Hungry crows

[Gretchen]

I watched a crow today swoop into an apple tree and grab a small apple,approx (6 1/2ins or 17cms circumference), actually quite large for a crow to carry in its beak, and fly off with it. The crow ignored all the fallen apples below.

[dunlin]

Originally Posted by Gretchen

I watched a crow today swoop into an apple tree and grab a small apple,approx (6 1/2ins or 17cms circumference), actually quite large for a crow to carry in its beak, and fly off with it. The crow ignored all the fallen apples below.

four and twenty black birds baked an apple pie...........no ok. An apple in the beak is worth two from the ground!!!!

ok i'll stop now. Welcome to wab gretchen

[the poacher]

you still have apples on the trees,lucky you.

[AfternoonLemon]

I've never seen crows going for apples, I'm surprised at that. I've still got a couple of apples left on my Bramley tree, right at the very top, and it's a miracle that the strong winds didn't knock them off. Yet still the birds won't touch them, and that's because it's still just about warm enough to find insects and worms, which are much more preferred by most species.

[nightshade]

I have seen Foxes go for apples but Crows rarely seem to. When the weather is hard I give them cheese, chopped along with peanuts and sunflower hearts and cat food (meat not the biscuits) Christmas cake and pudding

[faz]

perhaps the apple had some grubs in it ? which the crow saw

[AfternoonLemon]

I'd never think to feed the crows, as I think that alongside gulls and pigeons they are the most adaptable birds to urban environments. Crows and magpies are the only birds I've ever seen picking off a roadkill.

Originally Posted by faz

perhaps the apple had some grubs in it ? which the crow saw

Quite possibly, they are clever birds! I wonder if they are clever enough to know that a rotten apple attracts all kinds of grubs and insects...

[Gretchen]

Originally Posted by AfternoonLemon

I've never seen crows going for apples, I'm surprised at that. I've still got a couple of apples left on my Bramley tree, right at the very top, and it's a miracle that the strong winds didn't knock them off. Yet still the birds won't touch them, and that's because it's still just about warm enough to find insects and worms, which are much more preferred by most species.

Bramley's are sour, this is a sweet yellow apple, my crow must have a sweet tooth, I mean beak!

[Gretchen]

Originally Posted by AfternoonLemon

I'd never think to feed the crows, as I think that alongside gulls and pigeons they are the most adaptable birds to urban environments. Crows and magpies are the only birds I've ever seen picking off a roadkill.

Quite possibly, they are clever birds! I wonder if they are clever enough to know that a rotten apple attracts all kinds of grubs and insects...

Good thinking, they tend to be 'grubby' apples, though the apples on the ground contain grubs rather than those left on the tree.

[Billabong Karen]

I dont feed crows, magpies, jays or pigeons either, as a rule, as on the whole they seem very capable of looking after themselves. But during the long cold spell last winter I created a 'big bird' feeding station (an upturned log) at the bottom of the garden and put bird food out for them daily (actual bought food as well as whatever was left over from the kitchen). This turned out to be a huge success as it stopped them raiding the small bird feeders, and I had a wonderful time watching these larger birds from the living room window.