The noisy diversions
like crow and coyote
drawing mothers off
from helpless babies.
It takes a clan
to raise blackbirds, nests
stacked in the redwood,
a squadron to attack,
ride and peck the head
of a cruising crow
moaning in retreat
as its mate shops for squab
to feed their own.
Between the yard trees,
the cackling battle churns
with aerial acrobatics,
evening strategies,
each new act
our entertainment.
drycrikjournal 
Crows are not my favorite bird as they kill other, smaller, birds nestlings. They will even eat the eggs before they hatch.
They are fun to watch though and very smart. PBS had a very interesting show on them some time ago. They are amazing and very tough. We have found that if you kill one bird in the tree the rest will leave and never come back. They have a way of signaling danger to others of their kind. If they did not engage in destruction of other’s babies (Herod? Hitler? Assad?) I might enjoy them more. No avian genocide!
I know the raptor birds engage in about the same thing but there aren’t large, noisy clans of them. Besides, they are graceful in flight. ,
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I even like Vultures!
Judgement Seat
Stark, grey, lightning blasted,
The old oak stands
on a hill above the canyon.
The vultures, with wings
spread wide to the rising sun,
Sit, black robed.
In judgement of the day.
cr 2004
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