@nelinoeva hosts a fun contest in the Feathered Friends Community. This week's theme is Angry Birds.No, sorry, it's not the videogame. It's better.
This is my buddy Junior. She's all puffed up because her big brother Bo is spying on us from above, looking for a chance to swoop in and get some of the kibbles I'm feeding her.
(This is not my photo entry. It's coming, though. Hold tight!)
This is Bo:
I'm not sure if he's trying to stare down his little sister, but she's not intimidated.
She's pissed oops, sorry, I mean mad.
Bo doesn't live on the family turf anymore, and he's only allowed on it in emergencies or when the family is gathering to fly to the roost at night.
He's most certainly not allowed on the turf when I am there handing out food.
Junior kept watch over the kibbles while her dad, Lod, flew up to shoo his grown son away.
"Go back to your own turf, son. Go home to Lorena. You're too old to be coming over and raiding your dad's fridge."
A crow will often side-step toward another crow on a power line or branch to express dominance and/or ownership of a turf or meal. They also blink their nictitating membranes (inner eyelids) as part of this display.
Here you can see both Lod (near) and Bo (far) flashing their membranes.
Junior continues her yelling and territorial displays at Bo from the ground.
(Still not the entry photo, but, hey, since you're here, don't forget to check out the black and white portraits I posted of Junior if you haven't already.)
Lod wins, and Bo flies off to another spot.
It must be hard for Bo. We used to spend hours together in this territory. Bo, his mom and dad, and Junior when she was just a kid. Then spring came and Bo felt the call to find a mate, and he and his beautiful bride moved to a territory a couple blocks north.
Now he can't come back.
I watch Bo peck at a branch. He rips moss from it. Drops it onto the ground below.
Are you mad, Bo?
Sad?
Smad?
I get smad about stuff, too, buddy.
But Lod has his rules. He's a good dad. He taught Bo to be assertive. Taught him how to forage. Taught him how to do all the things that make Bo the big, strong, self-sufficient crow he is today.
"Go home, son."
Meanwhile, Junior is still stuffing her face and yelling at her big brother from the ground.
She flips him the membrane...
(Yay, this is my entry photo!)
Thanks for checking out my entry to the #smap contest! You can use the link at the beginning of the post to see the rules if you want to enter. It ends Sunday, so you still have time. Your pictures don't need to be professional quality, either, just fun and/or interesting.
instagram: @se_pdx_crows
Art in NFT Showroom
A percentage of this post's rewards goes back to support the community.
All the stuff (pictures, words, etc.) I put in this post and any of my other posts is mine (unless otherwise stated) and can't be used by anyone else unless the crows and I say it's ok.
"And never come back, Bo, ya hear??!! Never come back!"
p.s. After taking these photos I went over to Bo's house and hung out with him and Lorena and fed them both until they were full.