Happy end of October! I hope that wherever you are, you are enjoying some of the fun activities autumn has to offer.

This weekend, I got into the festivities myself and carved a pumpkin. I tried my hand at creating a crow silhouette (other than the feet, it didn’t turn out too well!).

It’s easy to understand why birds like crows are associated with autumn. Their calls sound spooky, and their dark coloring and reaching wings remind us of night. But in general, I think crows get a bad rap.

Some people may be surprised to learn that crows are particularly smart creatures compared to many of their fellow birds. People familiar with the species know that they actually enjoy gift giving! Among those who count birdwatching as a hobby, it’s a common story to be heard that those who feed crows often times receive gifts from their flying friends in the form of shiny objects. (I’ve never had this happen to me, but then again, I haven’t had the chance to form any bonds with the local crows!)

The closest I’ve ever come to experiencing this unique ritual was between a mother crow and her offspring. While a large crow and what I presumed to be her two children explored a grove of trees, one of the smaller birds picked a fresh, green leaf off a branch and held it out towards the larger bird the same way a human child would to their parent. The mother bird didn’t take the leaf, but that didn’t deter the smaller bird from holding it out to her for a long time.

In my mind, I like to think I experienced an attempted crow gift-giving (but maybe I just came across a crow who was a little odd!). Anyway, I thought the small story fit well with the season since in a couple of days, children will be bounding about, trick-or-treating, and hoping that their neighbors will give them a small candy gift.

Happy autumn!