The Crow Bar - Crows Try a Home-made Puzzle Feeder
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- čas přidán 30. 06. 2024
- In an attempt to befriend crows but discourage starlings, I constructed a simple puzzle feeder for the crows. They were immediately suspicious, as expected, but after a few days, they started trying it out. Will they learn how to remove the plastic domes to get to the scrumptious kitty kibble within? Watch and see!
00:00 What's a crow bar? And why?
02:37 Crow tries to solve the puzzle
04:08 Intruder alert!
04:20 Cool crow vocalizations & behavior
06:48 Another attempt
07:22 Breakfast -- and a spit take!
08:25 Fledgling demands pancakes
09:11 Black squirrel visits the crow bar
09:45 One last attempt
10:26 The Grand Finale!
Best viewed in 4K on a larger screen (iPad or larger). Suitable for all audiences.
~~ The Suburban Morrigan ~~
#crow #birdfeeder
Please check out my latest crow videos! "The Crow Bar" is more than a year old, and I've tried several other puzzle feeders since (and my production values have improved). Later videos also include the antics of blue jays, woodpeckers, raccoons, opossums, and more! Thank you for bird watching!
As a member of The Association of Old Crows (AOC..yes it’s real) I thank you for providing sustenance for my brothers and sisters. You are pure of heart and kind. Life is hard for all creatures. At some point you may find gifts brought to your rooftop. Respectfully, former USAF Captain Otto. Graduate 453rd Flying Training Squadron, Mather AFB. Where Crows are nurtured and released to fly free.
I too am an AOC member. Did you notice the discone and 6M antennas at the beginning of the video?
10:10 The feathers on the blue jay's head make it look like it's wearing a little aviator hat!
"Lenny were not doing this any more, you're an adult now, you're in crow college and there's food right in front of your feet."
"DONT CARE BWAARRR BWAARRR BWAARRR"
There is a crow in our neighbourhood that makes a sound similar to "Hello". It will appear from time to time and sit on the fence of our deck. When it says "Hello" I'll take a handful dry cat food out for it. It always flies away, but comes back after a few minutes and eats.
Crow and raven love unsalted organic raw cashew. I fed them in park and on the street this summer and really love that. They also love shelled and un-shell peanut.
"Fun for the whole murder" lmao this is great
😄Thank you for commenting!
The juvenile crow that opens the first dome is hilarious.
The cool thing about crows is that you can keep creating new food puzzles for them and they will keep coming back to solve them (for the food)..
Yep! I'm trying to figure out what other puzzles I can put out for them. It's a little challenging staging stuff like that on an inclined rooftop -- I guess I could try the picnic table and stick a camera out there. Anyway, thank you very much for commenting!
I like crows . Great video . I fed a Raven when I was in the mountains one time . I like all the other co-star critters in the video too. Groovy jazzy side music . lol.
Domes are genius for keeping the rain off the food until customers arrive
I'll always salute a pun. Crow bar is a really good one. 😂
I enjoy listening to the Raven's vocalizations from my deer stand during hunting season. I imagine they a talking about the gut piles all over the woods and perhaps the joy of finding one with the liver present.
Definitely more curious and daring the younger they are. I got an older couple that are off in a flash as soon as they spot me looking at them, but the young couple are much more chill around me. They'll bolt if I slap a gnat off me or gods help me should I stumble a step after a couple of beers, AAARGH HE'S ATTACKING US, hehhh... And even the younger ones have this GTA-style spook-o-meter that you can see filling every second you look directly at them or if you throw food towards them, and once the levee breaks, they're GONE until the Cooldown takes hold, lol!
Thank you for commenting, and for sharing your observations! I like the Spook-o-Meter concept -- it is so true, isn't it? I never appreciated how skittish these big birds were until I started watching them closely.
@@thesuburbanmorrigan Oh, I agree! I cannot believe how blind I've been to the animal world around me!
That was really interesting, I can see watching these might become addicting.
Thank you for your video! Poor Crows get a bad rep, but I like them. I have a couple fascinating stories of them warning me of danger.
Thanks for commenting! Feel free to share your stories here. 🙂
I have an area in my back yard where I keep a chiminaya. I put peanuts in it for the squirrels who visit several times a day, mostly in the morning. I also put food out for the crows. While the blue Jays have discovered the peanuts and bravely enter for the peanuts, the crows haven't yet discovered the source of the peanuts. Today, there were 3 crows in close proximity to the chiminaya, causing a squirrel to run interference. It was hysterical. The crows seemed at a loss to understand why the squirrel was so determined to get to the chiminaya, resulting in the crows jumping to avoid the squirrel, and the squirrel never straying from his or her goal. 🤣🤣
I really wish I had house as I would love to do this for my feathered friends .. but I live in an apartment complex and I don’t think they would appreciate bird droppings and birdseed all over the my balcony lol
Starlings strength is prying. They tried!
They eventually succeeded, LOL -- check out my "Hangry Birds" video. Thanks for commenting!
Love this crow video! All the various sounds they make...so super cool !
Thank you so much for the video!
According to me own observing of crows, I think the juvenile crow avoids to get near the food whenever its parents are around. It would to no account try to open the lid when they are around, but did some substitute actions instead (like 5:16 playing with the branch) and shows subservience (I guess, that`s the meaning of the call as well?).
The juvenile crow at first wanted to show the parents about the trick, but ended up finding out they are ignorant, so it only lifts the lid when it is on its own ... 🤔
What do you think? 😊
Thanks for the comment! Crows are so much more hierarchical than I ever realized, and fledglings don't know how they fit into the pecking order yet. As much as they drive their parents crazy, they do show submission to them.
I have always been fascinated by crows. And all birds but there was a crow that would sit on a limb above my swing when I was little and I would sing and it would join in. I was convinced it was singing with me my parents told me no it wasn’t but as I have learned how intelligent they are I am convinced it was at least curious about the sound I was making.
And then a few years ago I was cracking black walnuts in the driveway and I tossed some over to the squirrels. They finally realized they could get into them much easier. And would show up when I went out there. Then I noticed a crow hanging around. It would come and get the ones I left out. When I had not been out for a few days. I noticed that someone had left a couple of nuts next to the back door. Wasn’t sure if they were offering them to me or just wanted me to crack them open. So I did. Never saw who got them but they were gone by the end of the day.
Seriously love crows. Such remarkably intelligent, interesting creatures- and look at all the interesting vocalizations they come up with! Ah, just so fun to watch.
Fascinating video! I loved the way you narrated it. Crows are my favorite birds. While at the University of Washington in Seattle, I often observed them between classes. I used to feed them raw peanuts. Thank you for sharing it with us :-)
European starlings are very intelligent too. They also can mimic human speech
Yeah, they figured out the Crow Bar eventually. I've covered my latest countermeasures in a later video ("Hangry Birds"). Thanks for commenting!
Cat chow?!
I love my crow-buddies and never thought of using cat food for them!
(The crows alert each other when a hawk is around... which alerts my kitty cats / 'children'. I want to encourage my crow-buddies to hang around even though they, and the cats, antagonize each other.)
Thanks for commenting! If you look around the web for crow feeding info, you'll often see kibbled cat food mentioned as a favorite of theirs. Some people will say it isn't good for them, but most of what I've read says it's fine. In any case, "my" crows are city crows, so likely more than half their diet is anthropogenic; the cat chow is probably better for them than typical dumpster cuisine.
Love it!! It so funny how american crows look near identical to our European carrion crows, but they sound and behave different in so many ways! They do behave similarly, as all crows do, but carrion crows are much less gregarious than these guys seem to be
Brilliant footage, vocalisations and commentary. And the fledgling elevator music 😅. I have been trying to entice crows to bird feeders. They are surprisingly shy.
Thank you for the kind comment! Yeah, isn't it surprising that such large birds are so skittish? Anyway, I was finally able to attract them by putting out bowls of peanuts in the shell; they easily recognize whole peanuts as food, apparently.
Love hearing the locusts too, especially as I’m approaching winter here in the Midwest.
Excellent idea! It was fascinating watching the Crows inspect those cups and lids and quickly figure out that they needed to peck at the base of the lid. Even better was the one Crow figuring out to simply remove the lid using the handle. Such fascinating birds. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for the comment, glad you enjoyed! I have to shout out, though, to the woman who inspired me to do anything like this in the first place -- she runs the Krari the Crow YT channel and has been challenging (European) crows with puzzles for years.
I could watch them for hours__I love crows, ravens, squirrels, and other beings in nature. I get a kick out of their antics! Living in an upstairs apartment with no personal outdoor space to do the sort of thing you've done, I just talk with them out my windows, as do my kitties! 😛 Sometimes they can be real 'characters'!
Interestingly, if you spend enough time interacting with them you may be able to get them to ''talk"! When I was fairly young my grandparents had a crow as a pet__I think they rehabed him from an injury when he was young. He decided to stick around for awhile so they named him, Smokey. We're a bid family so there was always talking going on and Smokey learned to talk, too!
However, my grandfather was Smokey's favorite person so he talked to him the most__they built up a pretty good relationship.
He never lived in a cage, he slept in a box on the floor.
One day he decided it was time to leave, I guess, cuz he flew away when a family member entered the house but didn't close the door fast enough__Smokey "flew the coop"! 😛
What a sweet story! I have yet to actually introduce myself to the animals I'm feeding (except for some of the squirrels). I'll just be happy if I can get crows comfortable enough with me to eat within 20 feet of me, someday. I need to actually go outside more, LOL. Thank you so much for commenting!
@@thesuburbanmorrigan , 🌱🌿🌻🐝🌳🌎💖🙌😺
@The Suburban Morrigan - I've received a few "gifts"- either they like pink things or they think I do. I have two of my family of five who will eat out of my hand. It's taken about a year.
@@llofdarkwater9152 I'm so jealous!
@The Suburban Morrigan - Most folks just think I'm a bit... odd, sitting on my front porch, chatting with crows.
10:10 looks like the bluejay is wearing a brown aviator helmet lol. Just needs some goggles.
no crowbars were harmed in the making of this video.
🤭
❤❤❤ I love the way your mind works and how you thought up such a clever way to get into the mind of a crow(s). More!!
Thank you so much! I must admit that I draw inspiration from the German lady who befriended a crow named Kräri. You should look her up -- she's what I want to be when I grow up, LOL. Thanks again!
@@thesuburbanmorrigan Thank you tons for the info! I will def check out that crow and German lady. ❤
@@thesuburbanmorrigan I am just loving the Krari videos. And learning so much from them too. Thanks again for the tip!
@@atomicplaygirl66 She is on Instagram, posting videos all the time. Krari and his mate had several babies this year.
@@atomicplaygirl66 that German Lady is an inspiration for many. Ive been making DIY puzzles for 'my' crows since i watched her videoes
I LOVE THIS !!! Thanks for posting and I may have to copy this at my house for my lovely crow friends! ✨✨✨🤣🤣🤣💞💞💞 (new subscriber too!)
Thank you for commenting and subscribing! Maybe I should add a link to the Amazon page for those little dishes to the description for this video.
This is a GREAT channel. Fun and interesting
Thank you so much!!! 💕
I feed crows and they prefer peanuts in the shell and leave shelled peanuts, great to watch!
I once ran out of peanuts in the shell and had to substitute shelled peanuts, but I don't recall how the crows reacted. The jays didn't care, LOL. My local crows seem to like the peanuts and the cat food equally.
I enjoyed your video! I live in Australia, but I throw handfuls of cat biscuits on the front lawn each morning. Sometimes, I leave some raw mince beef on a tray too. The crows love it! They're sooo intelligent and funny. They've started talking to me, but I'm not sure if it's compliments or cursing. Anyway, I like your ritzy Crow Bar and you're very popular with the neighbourhood crows now! 😁
If they're willing to sit and chill within 20 feet of you, odds are it's compliments~
The baby is begging; he wants someone to feed him
Crows are such awesome birds.
I LOVE them and so enjoy watching them. I love all birds; ravens, starlings, bluejays, grackles, cardinals, etc. Crows are the best. ❤️❤️🤗🤗
Thanks for posting.
Really nice video, surprised it doesnt have more views and comments!
Thanks so much! My channel is small and pretty new, and this is just a hobby for me... it's more important for my videos to be enjoyed by those who do see them than for them to be seen by lots of people. Thanks again, though! 🖤
Great content, channel is highly under rated this should have thousands of subs. Love it, subscribed and belled.
Thank you for the kind comment, and thank you for subscribing! I'm still a pretty new creator, and I am still learning how to make engaging content consistently, but I am quite proud of "The Crow Bar".
@@thesuburbanmorrigan keep it up you're an amazing person. All The Blessings from Ontario, Canada
That was fun! I love watching murder mysteries! ;)
I see what you did there... 😉
Dang, I hope "Murder of Crows" is spelled differently, I don't like the thought this exudes.🤨😖
Awesome! An instant subscription.
Love the experiment🎉❤
That’s sooooo much cat food, honey…. and putting it on your roof is awfully brave. You don’t want to attract raccoons, rodents, stray cats and other critters that carry disease….. Just a friendly observation.
Personally, mine are fed about 20 feet away from my house under a gumball tree. I have a family of 4 crows right now….. and they eat off a small dinner plate I set on the ground.
Great video nevertheless…. I’m fascinated by their ability to communicate and “gossip” with each other, so I thoroughly enjoyed hearing them interact with their happy clicks and warbles.
Best wishes!
Hi! Thanks for commenting. The cat food feeders moved out to the picnic table some time ago. The food does attract raccoons if I leave it out overnight -- I have a bunch of raccoon videos now. There was one stray cat for a bit, but now it's just Phoenix, who has a home. I'm not too worried about diseases, but the cams allow me to see if there's something not quite right about a feeder visitor. I have a couple of really recent videos that showcase the picnic table setup, if you're curious.
I really liked this. I just subbed.😊 There's a whole big flock of them that come by my apartment to go across the street to the schoolyard. They look for food in the grass and chase each other in play. They are fascinating to watch.😲😀🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦🥰🤗 This was a fun and interesting vid, thanks for sharing.🤔😀👍🏾 Squirrel-nado! 😆
I have been looking for a way to make a Crow's ONLY Feeding Hopper/Station. I have other feeders set up for all of the other birds. Unfortunately, all but a handful of other birds seem to want to eat their food AND steal the Crow's food. I can't be bird police. So, I'm ready and willing to design and build something for them to eliminate the thieves. Don't get me wrong, the Crow's seem to either be tolerating of the thieves, or even willing to share. I'm leaning toward the latter.
I've watched as the Cardinals, Bluejays, and what I believe are Towhees and/or Titmouse eat from their own feeder AND still head to the Crow's feeder. Back and forth. The Crow Family I have will wait for a short time on the lower branches of the Black Walnut trees before finally swooping down to have their turn.
I do enjoy all of the bird's company, while also watching them eat. However, there have been several times that these other birds and the other Corvidae will completely clean the Crow's out!
So here I am, seeking to find an idea and a way to build something only the Crows will be able to figure out and use. I've noticed even the Bluejays aren't as clever as my Crows are at figuring things out. Because I've even tried setting a plastic container over the Crow feeding tray and all of the other birds can't seem to figure it out. But the Crows always just knock it off and eat. But once they do, leaves their food once again vulnerable. But at that point, I'm no longer worried because I know the Crows are there, and are able to eat. So if they share and don't mind the other eating with them at that point, is fine by me.
I just want to be able to make sure they can eat their own food I put out for them. Especially since the cost of Raw & Unsalted shelled peanuts has gone up now. I do try to make sure they have a few things I know they like available to choose from.
While looking for any ideas, I came across your video here. I truly enjoyed watching it! Wow those sounds they make while eating? So amazing! So affectionate! Communicating while eating. I wonder what they're saying.
I nearly cried tears of joy because of how much I love these intelligent and amazing beings! Yes, beings.
I too observe Crows, and have noticed how they interact with one another. I also communicate with mine as well. If people would just take the time out to do the same, they'd realize how we are all not so different in character and the way we interact. We're just different species of beings who have various languages, but also a community as well as a way to plot, plan, survive and so much more.
Thank you for sharing your amazing Crow family!
Thank you for this wonderful comment! I'm glad you enjoyed the video, and I loved reading about your own birds. The Crow Bar kind of fell apart, literally, but Alexandra at Krari the Crow sent me links to some dog toys to try. You might want to check out one of my videos showing crows interacting with the "gambling tower" puzzle. With the right "bait" and location, you can almost ensure crows will get the first chance at the food. The only other birds I've observed working the puzzle are common grackles. Good luck!
Love these!
Thank you, Tara! ❤ You should come by the house sometime!
Awesome video well done! I've been looking for something like this for some time. I want to know what the different vocalizations mean. I've been spending a lot of time over the last year or so studying a pair of crows as well as their latest 4 kids.they are soooo entertaining
I love your video ! It's brilliant 👏 👌
Thank you so much!
Thanks! I wanted that Corvid to give that squirrel a peck to the bootie he wouldn't forget!
Awesome video!
Delightful! That was awesome to see him lift the lid. I will definitely check out your other videos. Anyone who would make a Crow Bar would definitely have other interesting things (and crows and ravens are worth watching no matter what they're up to - I spend hours at it).
Thank you! Some of my earlier videos are a little clunky, since I was still trying to figure out what I was doing (I still am, honestly). But I hope you will enjoy my newer content, at least. Do you know about the Krari the Crow channel? If you like this video, you will probably like the videos there. I want to be Alexandra when I grow up, LOL. She's an inspiration to me.
Woman: _I love corvids!_
Man: _Me, too! The C5 is my favorite!_
BTW, what is the half-life of the crow bar's food supply? 😉
P.S.: I am too tired to make a witty remark about starlings. Musk be the weather.
What a great video :D I'm always impressed with how smart crows are, despite knowing they're smart. They surprise me every time. If I didn't have a cat, I'd try to "befriend" some in a heartbeat.
That's the big reason I use my rooftop to stage all this stuff -- it's safe from cats (though I have to make sure my two indoor felines don't sneak out through an open window). As for the crows, I don't think I will ever lose my sense of wonder about them, either. Thank you so much for the kind comment -- I'm glad you liked the video!
There is an actual tavern in Brule Wisconsin called the Crow Bar. On US hwy 2.
There used to be one in Washington, DC, too, but I think we lost it to the pandemic.
I love crows and watching their behavior is interesting. Another hobby of mine is ham (amateur) radio. By the antennas (the discone and 6M) I take it you, or a family member is also a ham? 🤓😀
Yes, that's my husband! He's not very active these days, but he did test all the way up to Extra class.
@@thesuburbanmorrigan I got to General and stopped there. I really should progress higher. Congrats to your husband and to you for posting the video! :)
@@shawnerz98 Thank you for commenting!
This was very calming to watch.
5:50 Feed me Seymour!
🤭
Just look at how smug this guy is, lol!
I love this.
Thank the you tube algorithms for me even seeing this video. Your cat food kibble: check the ingredients, because most cheap catfood is made from a base of corn; something cats and dogs do not digest very well.
Thank you for commenting! My cats actually eat a prescription diet, so the Crow Bar kibble is just for the crows. I should probably look into a providing higher-quality kibble, though -- regular Cat Chow is readily available, but not the best.
@@thesuburbanmorrigan My apologies, I was not as succinct as I should have been. I've been battling a respiratory infection.
Birds LOVE cat food kibble, and I suspect that's the corn, but by law they must include a percentage of protein. Alas, that is probably from soy beans, more so than actual meat, in those cheaper foods.
The crows are very intelligent and resourceful, so I wouldn't worry too much about a higher quality cat food. They will find a food source, in addition to your's.
@@Objective-Observer I really hope you feel better soon. "My" crows are city dwellers, so they have many food sources to choose from -- not all of them great, but a variety at least.
it you put it out at night. the night eaters will get to them before morning.
My dogs used to eat peanuts which come out embedded in their poop. The crows would come and stuff the poop into their baby birds. So I had to stop feeding the squirrels.
Where are you located? Our starlings are black, like crows, but much smaller.
Hi there! I am in Washington, DC.
It's a female call, meaning something close to Feed me.
The cooing, you mean? I hadn't read that only females do this, but I'm still learning. Thanks for commenting!
@@thesuburbanmorrigan males have a similar call with the same meaning Feed me
This seems to indicate a rigid authority structure with food access rules, also because the youngster had all the buffet eventually but was hesitant to take some, and while the adult was there, we saw begging to be given some food even though it was all over the place.
Why not one on bowl dome edge?
This wasnt much of a puzzle tho
Apparently the crows disagree. 😄
I don't tolerate " Tree Rats ! They cause to much damage. Yotefood.
Talking like that about squirrels - the embodiment of evil right there. 😦😛
I didn't see any "Tree Rats" as you call them,🤨 but I did see two cute squirrels.😛🐿🐿🥰🤗
Squirrels are not vegeterians! They feed on insects, small snakes and small birds! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squirrel#Feeding Why should they not eat kitty kibbles? 🍒
Yep, I was mistaken about that! All the same, "my" squirrels don't touch the kitty kibble, for whatever reason.