The Crow Chronicles: A Summer of Unwanted Attention
Time and again, Lisa Joyce found herself the target of unrelenting crow attacks as she sprinted down a street in Vancouver, her screams echoing in the evening air. The relentless birds swooped down, landing on her head and taking off again—a total of eight times, by her own count. With throngs of onlookers gathered outdoors, enjoying the festive fireworks display that July night, Ms. Joyce couldn’t help but wonder why she had been chosen for such a peculiar and frightening experience.
“I’m not easily frightened and generally have no qualms about wildlife,” Ms. Joyce explained, reflecting on the bizarre nature of her encounters with crows that had intensified throughout the summer. In response to the persistent avian harassment, she even altered her daily commute to work, seeking routes that would keep her far from the notorious birds. “But it was so relentless,” she admitted, “and quite terrifying.”
Ms. Joyce’s experience is not isolated; she shares her fears with many others who have encountered the wrath of these intelligent creatures. CrowTrax, a dedicated website launched eight years ago by Vancouver resident Jim O’Leary, has collected over 8,000 reports of crow attacks in the verdant city, where crows thrive in abundance. However, such unsettling encounters extend far beyond the Pacific Northwest.
In Los Angeles, resident Neil Dave recounted a particularly unnerving incident where crows relentlessly attacked his home, repeatedly slamming their beaks against his glass door with such force that he feared it would shatter at any moment. Meanwhile, Jim Ru, an artist living in Brunswick, Maine, shared a chilling tale of crows wreaking havoc on the wiper blades of numerous cars parked at his senior living complex, displaying an unyielding determination that seemed impervious to any deterrents.
The phenomenon of aggressive crow behavior can often resemble a scene straight out of a horror film, transforming everyday life into a living nightmare reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic, The Birds. Renowned for their remarkable intelligence, crows possess the ability to mimic human speech, utilize tools, and even participate in what appear to be funeral rites when a member of their murder—the term for a group of crows—dies or is killed. Additionally, these astute birds can identify and remember individual faces, even among large crowds, showcasing their incredible cognitive abilities.