RE: [cayugabirds-l] Crow-chipmunk

2013-11-28 Thread Susan Fast 
We're still watching the crow-chipmunk interaction.  Today, 2 of the yard
crows went after the chippie.  They were clearly working together.  As the
chipmunk moved around under the feeders gathering seeds, the 2 crows, by
walking and hopping, kept the chippie between them.  Finally, one crow
appeared to station itself between the chippie and its escape hole in a
grass tuft, the other sidled closer and closer until both crows were only
inches from the chippie.  Then one crow reached quickly down and grabbed the
chippie by the scruff of the neck.  The chippie twisted free, ran right
under the crow, and made its escape.  But this was too much for the wife, a
rodent-lover, and she began yelling.  So I had to open the window to scare
the crows off.  Ruined my day.  The chippie soon returned and looks OK.

 

S. Fast

Brooktondale

 

  _  

From: bounce-111074994-9286...@list.cornell.edu
[mailto:bounce-111074994-9286...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Susan Fast
Sent: Wednesday, November 27, 2013 2:04 PM
To: 'CAYUGABIRDS-L'
Subject: [cayugabirds-l] Crow-chipmunk

 

I've spent much of this morning watching red squirrel interactions in our
yard; stuff I haven't seen before. Anyway, on to birds.  We also have still
one CHIPMUNK which has daily been filling its cheeks with seeds (yesterday
it had a tail; today no tail, but that is a rodent-rodent interaction most
likely).  It was busy foraging when our 3 yard CROWS arrived and also
started feeding on seeds.  2 of the crows soon flew off to the compost; the
third remained and began sidling closer to the chipmunk.  It got within 6",
the chipmunk turned its back, and the crow reached down and grabbed it by
the skin in the center of the back.  Chipmunk twisted away and shot under a
bush, the crow jumped back, then flew off.  5 minutes later, they were both
back to the same spot under the feeders, about a foot apart, but this time
the chipmunk watched the crow like a hawk and no interaction occurred.
Several years ago, I watched a crow this close to a meadow vole (same size
as chipmunk) and the crow hammered the vole twice with its beak and killed
it.  Why the difference?

 

 

Steve Fast

Brooktondale

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RE: [cayugabirds-l] Crow-chipmunk

2013-11-27 Thread Kevin J. McGowan 
Very cool observations.

Donna quoted me pretty well.  Wanna-be-predators is what crows are.  They 
definitely don’t have the tools to make it happen often.

Actually, eastern chipmunks are substantially larger than meadow voles.  I 
trapped hundreds of meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus, for my master’s 
research (“Small mammal populations on Ohio strip‑mined lands reclaimed with 
herbaceous vegetation under old and new reclamation laws”).  Some big bulls and 
pregnant females would be over 50 grams, but I only had a few get over 60 g.  
Chipmunks, on the other hand, start at 80 g and can get to be 150 g.  I’ve 
handled both (and skinned both), and chipmunks are much tougher customers than 
meadow voles.  It would be one crafty crow that could kill a chipmunk.

Crows eat small mammals when they can, but by far the most common prey is the 
short-tailed shrew, Blarina brevicauda.  Blarina have short tails and short 
gray fur very much like meadow voles and can easily be mistaken for them.  The 
pointy shrew nose is the characteristic to watch for.

Best,

Kevin



From: bounce-111075079-3493...@list.cornell.edu 
[mailto:bounce-111075079-3493...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Donna Scott
Sent: Wednesday, November 27, 2013 2:34 PM
To: Susan Fast; CAYUGABIRDS-L
Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] Crow-chipmunk

As Kevin McGowan recently wrote, Crows are wanna-be predators and don't quite 
have all the equipment or know how to be a consistent bird of prey (I 
paraphrased here; sorry if I got it a bit wrong).
--Donna Scott
- Original Message -
From: Susan Fast<mailto:sustf...@yahoo.com>
To: 'CAYUGABIRDS-L'<mailto:cayugabird...@list.cornell.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, November 27, 2013 2:04 PM
Subject: [cayugabirds-l] Crow-chipmunk

I’ve spent much of this morning watching red squirrel interactions in our yard; 
stuff I haven’t seen before. Anyway, on to birds.  We also have still one 
CHIPMUNK which has daily been filling its cheeks with seeds (yesterday it had a 
tail; today no tail, but that is a rodent-rodent interaction most likely).  It 
was busy foraging when our 3 yard CROWS arrived and also started feeding on 
seeds.  2 of the crows soon flew off to the compost; the third remained and 
began sidling closer to the chipmunk.  It got within 6”, the chipmunk turned 
its back, and the crow reached down and grabbed it by the skin in the center of 
the back.  Chipmunk twisted away and shot under a bush, the crow jumped back, 
then flew off.  5 minutes later, they were both back to the same spot under the 
feeders, about a foot apart, but this time the chipmunk watched the crow like a 
hawk and no interaction occurred.  Several years ago, I watched a crow this 
close to a meadow vole (same size as chipmunk) and the crow hammered the vole 
twice with its beak and killed it.  Why the difference?


Steve Fast
Brooktondale
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Re: [cayugabirds-l] Crow-chipmunk

2013-11-27 Thread Donna Scott 
As Kevin McGowan recently wrote, Crows are wanna-be predators and don't quite 
have all the equipment or know how to be a consistent bird of prey (I 
paraphrased here; sorry if I got it a bit wrong).
--Donna Scott
  - Original Message - 
  From: Susan Fast 
  To: 'CAYUGABIRDS-L' 
  Sent: Wednesday, November 27, 2013 2:04 PM
  Subject: [cayugabirds-l] Crow-chipmunk


  I've spent much of this morning watching red squirrel interactions in our 
yard; stuff I haven't seen before. Anyway, on to birds.  We also have still one 
CHIPMUNK which has daily been filling its cheeks with seeds (yesterday it had a 
tail; today no tail, but that is a rodent-rodent interaction most likely).  It 
was busy foraging when our 3 yard CROWS arrived and also started feeding on 
seeds.  2 of the crows soon flew off to the compost; the third remained and 
began sidling closer to the chipmunk.  It got within 6", the chipmunk turned 
its back, and the crow reached down and grabbed it by the skin in the center of 
the back.  Chipmunk twisted away and shot under a bush, the crow jumped back, 
then flew off.  5 minutes later, they were both back to the same spot under the 
feeders, about a foot apart, but this time the chipmunk watched the crow like a 
hawk and no interaction occurred.  Several years ago, I watched a crow this 
close to a meadow vole (same size as chipmunk) and the crow hammered the vole 
twice with its beak and killed it.  Why the difference?

   

   

  Steve Fast

  Brooktondale

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