Field Notes: Crow Funerals (Patreon)

Hi. I'm Josh Cassidy, producer for our episode on Crow Funerals and also the cinematographer for Deep Look.

Filming American Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) in a park would seem like, well...  a day in the park compared to getting in the water with newts, or enduring the stench of the giant corpse flower. But for a shooter like me who specializes in macro-photography (filming subjects up close) it was unexpectedly challenging. 

I traveled as a one-person crew up to Seattle from San Francisco, and the production window was really tight. I didn't get the usual opportunity to scout the location or even get a clear sense of the animal behavior in advance. After consulting with the researcher, I had hoped we could just put the taxidermied crow on the grass, lay down a GoPro camera next to it to get some up-close images of crow funeral behavior, with me working nearby filming with another camera. But, as I learned, when in danger the last thing crows want to do is come down the ground; they immediately fly to the treetops 80 feet up, where they feel safer. So the funerals often take place up high.

Not great for a macro show. And trying to get sharp focus on a bunch of very dark birds against a bright sky was also not going to be easy. Not a lot of detail to lock onto.

So I had to break out our "long" lens, a Sigma 150 - 600 with a 2x doubler. Telephoto lenses allow you to bring distant objects closer, but since it is so long, any movement at all in the camera causes the image to shake significantly. Even on a tripod. The slightest breeze - or even the heartbeat from your hand -  wiggles the picture. So I had to do a fair amount of filming where I'd set up the shot, start rolling and then let go of the camera, and hope I got something useful.

When Kaeli brought out the dead crow and mask, a few human park-goers also took notice. The looks people gave us were priceless. We were asked if we were making a horror film, or amateur music video. But no-one called local law enforcement, which was a relief.

Speaking of the dead crow, you can't just run around with one any time you please. Sorry to the Goths out there. As a native migratory bird, crows are federally protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and even their dead bodies or parts thereof are regulated (the act was passed in 1916 after the demise of the passenger pigeon). Our researcher had to have a proper permit to even possess one for scientific purposes.

From their high perches, the 'murder' of crows conducted their funeral - and despite the distance the spectacle was really intense. Even intimidating. It can start with just one bird seeing a deceased crow, sounding the alarm, bringing in crows from around the area. Once gathered, in unison they will flush from the tree making an incredible chorus of screams and cries, fly around, and land again nearby. 

If Kaeli, in her mask, would so much as bobble or disturb the crow specimen in any way, it was perceived as a fresh attack. Furthering the cycle of screams, flight, and alighting of the group.

So. The mask and wig… yes, it was as freaky in person as it was on film. During the filming we of course has to communicate with each other, and talking to her in this mask was unnerving. The worst was when I was giving direction to her and she would be giving me side eye through the eye holes.

Thankfully, not all of the filming was done under such morbid circumstances. I also spent some time with crows in a more natural setting, with no crow corpse to be found. In these calmer environs, the crows hung out in pairs or small groups, and exhibited a lot of social - even gentle - behavior with their fellow crows. Grooming, soft cawing, even acting as lookouts.

Now you can see from the episode that we did manage to get some very close shots of crows. Or at least one crow. To get that close, you need a co-operative subject. That subject had a name, and her name was Fancy.

Fancy is a captive crow who lives at Puget Sound WildCare in nearby Kent, Washington. PSWC takes in and rehabilitates wildlife that has been injured, orphaned, or ill. Unlike her wild, wary cousins in the park she is a bird that works with people all the time, as a "wildlife ambassador" animal for schools and other public outreach.

I say "cousins" because Fancy is a Northwest Crow (Corvus caurinus). Although they can be very hard to distinguish, Northwest Crows are more coastal in distribution, generally a little smaller and have a rougher voice compared to the American Crows we saw in the park. The differences are small enough however that some consider it to be a subspecies or variation of American Crow. 

Fancy's handler, Dana McDonald, was able to introduce me and let me bring in some branches and a camouflage tarp into their 50-foot flight cage, where they train and rehabilitate birds in their care.

Once the setting was in place, and Fancy landed on one of the branches, I was able to get close to her and get some of my favorite shots of the episode: the over-the-shoulder shot of the crow looking back, facial expressions, and detailed looks at the texture of her feathers. You might expect a crow's feathers to be rough, or bristly - but quite the opposite. Crow plumage is super-duper soft and silky … like that of kitten. 

Since I produced this episode, I seem to be seeing crows everywhere - with a newfound appreciation for this intelligent and surprising bird. What else would you like to know about this episode? Ask in the comments below.