For about a week the crows had been waking me up before dawn, cawing away in the neighbor's backyard, which was okay because I had to get up anyway to bring my traps in. But that last day, they were making a bigger ruckus than ever before so I go outside again to see what's got them in such a mood. Well, I look up in the neighbor's cherry tree, and who might be crawling through the crown, eating its fill of cherries but this plump raccoon.

I proceeded to chase the coon away then went back inside.

Later that day, I find a single cherry left where I had encouraged the raccoon to move on.

I haven't heard from those crows again all week and am wondering if one of them left me that cherry as a gift for getting the raider to move on....

Crows are probably smart enough to do that. Their memory is pretty amazing and spans generations of crows.

Keith

They are extremely intelligent

I am as about as positive as I can be that they can actually have meaningful conversations with each other.

They've got some kind of memory. Got spots where I've traditionally hunted them for years and its real obvious the local birds know my vehicle. Nothing I prefer to hunt more---not waterfowl, turkeys, deer or even coyotes

I can't say I've liked them much in the past, but if they are smart enough to thank me for shooing off that raccoon, then they should be smart enough to know not to peck at the shingles on my roof!

Only so many chances before the strap comes out....