Thermals�

2004-03-03

Every time I hear the crows loud and disturbed, this is what I see in the sky.

I heard the same crows, several times a day, before I thought to look up. Then I looked up when I heard the sound of those crows. I can't tell you how stupid I felt. I know that crows, jays and mockingbirds make warning sounds when disturbed. Most other birds go quiet.

Why didn't I make the connection. A crow is going to make a lot of noise in the face of an enemy. How many birds in this area pose any kind of threat to crows. Not many. Raptors. Hawks. The most prevalent of which, in SoCal, is the red-tailed hawk.

Hence this one, who rode the thermals above a local parking lot for nearly 5 minutes.

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