Crows are very intelligent birds

A couple of years ago I was on East Street and I overheard a small girl ask her mum what that big, black bird was. Her mother told her it was a crow and then said that they weren’t very nice birds. I really regret not asking if I could say something positive about crows.

When my son was small he was listening to the calls of our neighbouring crows and he told me he didn’t like crows because they sounded like they were laughing at him. He told me he preferred ravens instead.

I love crows just for what they are. I love their intelligence and their mischief. They keep our environment healthy by clearing away dead animals such as road kill. Without them there would be a lot more disease.

There is something else that I noticed about crows last year that I wanted to pass on. If you have crows nesting near you they will be unintentionally protecting all the smaller birds that we love so much. Last year’s young will not mate straight away and will help to raise and protect this year’s hatchlings.

I have watched our local crows behaving in a very intelligent and co-ordinated way to drive off raptors and seagulls during the nesting season.

If you watch them there is always a sentry posted near the nest watching out for trouble. At the first sight of a seagull or a raptor suddenly the sky is full of crows. They seem to appear from all directions. When they have finished the business of driving off the predator you can hear them congratulating each other and telling themselves what an excellent job they have just done. TRACY VALENTE Corunna Drive, Horsham