I have been feeding the crows for two decades. Every morning, without fail, I feed my dogs, cats, chickens and I feed the crows. For years I would put a little bowl of dog food out for them because that’s what attracted them to my place in the first place. I’d been feeding a stray dog that was hanging out in the woods behind our house and to keep the ants out the food, I’d put it up on an old picnic table that was out back. The dog would always leave bits of kibble in the bowl and as soon as he jumped off the table after eating, the crows would swoop in and eat what he’d left behind.

After the dog eventually joined our family and came into the house to eat, I still put out that bowl of kibble for the crows when I went out to feed my chickens. Eventually I started adding treats to the bowl Scraps from dinner, peanuts. sunflower seeds. Once I found a dead skink that had trapped itself in a flower pot and died and I placed it in a dish as an offering to the crows. They enthusiastically grabbed it up, washed it in the birdbath and ate every bit of it.

They never ate fruit that I offered. I tried giving them the strawberries, blueberries, figs and tomatoes from our garden that didn’t pass muster but they never touched them so I stuck to giving them kibble and nuts and seeds. The kibble was their favorite, then the nuts and if they were really hungry they would eat the seed. Turns out the cardinals and chipmunks ate most of the seed after the crows left the table. The crows always ate first then the leftovers were fair game.

Now that I don’t keep hens anymore, I spend the money I would have spent on their food on seed for the wild birds. I have set up several feeding stations in my back yard and there are always birds out there eating. The crows don’t seem to like sharing their space with the doves and cardinals and sparrows. They have stopped coming around as often. I guess it’s possible that some dog owner has started leaving food outside and they’ve found a better place to eat but I think it’s the other birds.

I recently started leaving food out for the wild birds in the morning only and taking up the feeders at night because the raccoons and opossum also like seed. The squirrels and chipmunks are also coming around more. Everyone is hungry. I don’t turn them away but I put out less than I used to because I’m tired of the raccoons breaking things in my garden and I worry about mice and the price of seed has gone way up and the quality down. I planted more plants that I thought would help the birds this year and only put out seed now and then but I have never stopped putting out a little something for the crows.

This morning while I was in the kitchen making my breakfast, I heard a crow calling. It was right outside the kitchen window. This is what they’ve done for years when they show up to eat and their bowl is empty. So, of course, I grabbed a handful of dog kibble and went out to toss it into the bowl on the table nearest the gate and went back into the house. Moments after I left the garden, I heard multiple crows calling. I smiled. I imagined them all swooping down to the old picnic table to eat but when I looked out the window, it wasn’t crows that I saw. It was a tabby cat and it was eating the food I’d put out for the crows.

Cats don’t last long in these woods. There are foxes and coyotes and stray dogs everywhere. I can’t imagine where this guy came from. I go out and shoo him away. I don’t want a cat killing the birds that come to the feeder. I think this means I have to stop feeding everyone for a few days just to keep them safe. I know the crows are more savvy that the other birds that come to the feeder so I will put the food out for them again in a few days. Right now I have to hit reset though. I have to stop feeding everyone until the cat goes away and the raccoons stop showing up looking for crumbs and trouble. I know the crows will wait. I know they will come back to check the bowl again. They always do.