Blue the Pied Crow

“Blue” the resident Pied Crow

It is not often you able to go for a run and have your resident Pied Crow circle overhead watching you while you exercise. Well this is what I experienced this afternoon.

Firstly here is a brief background about this Pied Crow. He was found with an injured leg by our neighbour roughly a year ago. Having some bird rehabilitation knowledge the bird was taken in and cared for by our neighbour who managed to rehabilitated this crow and fondly named him Blue. A few months later, his foster guardian decided that Blu was ready to be released. But alas Blue didn’t want to leave! Now, Blue happily lives in Simonstown on the balcony of our neighbour. He is free to fly the streets and mountains of Simonstown throughout the day and always returns at around 17h00 to roost for the night. Blue has made some human friends in particular with our home and a few other homes within the neighborhood. He can often be heard squawking for your attention in the morning in the hopes of receiving a piece of fruit or biscuit as a treat, he politely waits at the sliding door and never enters your home without your permission! Calling for your attention and continuing to do so until you acknowledge him. He is not reliant on food from humans, as I have often seen Blue with a mouse or a small bird captured his claws, a feast he was not able to catch when he was injured.

I have learnt a lot of Pied Crows since Blue has moved in and realise they are incredibly intelligent indeed! Who would have thought a crow could become your companion as he has done in our neighbours case and certainly has impacted the lives of others in our neighbourhood.

Blue followed overhead while I was running this evening for a good 1km. It was a strange feeling not only for me but I am sure for the many people who passed me, finding it peculiar that not only did I have a crow following and swooping down on me, I was in fact answering him back every time he squawked!

Crows and ravens have had a long history of ominous associations, dating at least as far back as ancient Rome. They often have been used in literature as omens of death or foreboding. Perhaps this is because of their black feathers, or because they are known to sometimes feed on dead carcasses. While it’s true that sometimes a circling crow is scoping out carrion, and they have been known historically to circle battlefields and other places where people have died, yet there are other reasons a crow might be circling.

Blue stopped for a second on a sign post after picking up some carrion. Thankfully I had my phone and managed to snap this beautiful yet ominous picture of Blue! The evening’s air felt quite electric yet strangely was rather comforting having Blue accompany me and definitely didn’t feel like he was a messenger of death tonight.

Thank you for reading!
Fiona