It actually took the crows a long time to find this feeder, I had expected them to visit much sooner. You can’t see the ones that are flapping around in the background and making quite a fuss but too afraid to get much closer. The rest of them landed in the trees and cawed up a storm and wouldn’t quit until they all left.
This one was much braver than the rest of them and actually got up to the feeder. Still, he wasn’t really certain that it was the safe thing to do. You can see him keeping an eye on the ledge above his head, maybe he was afraid it was some sort of trap. He can’t resist that nice corn and seeds though.
It’s no secret that crows are smart, and I also think they have a healthy suspicion of anything new, which is probably why the crow population does so well. I’ve thrown them scraps out in the open before and they don’t waste any time literally diving in to get to it first. This feeder had them worried.
From all the information on crows they come back every year if they find a safe spot. They never got comfortable with the feeder like I expected them to. They’ve actually been around less this year than previous years spending more of their time back deeper in the woods than around the lawn. There are a lot of predators around but there always has been and there will be more at the back of the property. It could be they’ve found a spot somewhere else that suits them better. That just goes to show that every year and every season can be different if you’re interested in watching wildlife, and there is aways something new to see.