I was driving to work, sometime in early February of 2016. I just know it was before Cheap Chocolate Eve. I was getting into the left turn lane of the biggest, busiest street in my city when I see a black lump in front on me. ‘Ah, looks like roadkill. Probably a crow,’ I thought slowing down. This was during rush hour. As busy traffic, car after car, misses the crow by less than inch, I see it move.
Holy shit. That crow wasn’t roadkill! Yet. I put my Jeep into park a few feet away. I jump out and avoid the oncoming traffic. I rush over to the crow. He’s bloody, wheezing, head oozing pus, wing broken, covered in bugs.
“Please don’t claw or savage me, I want to help,” I beg. I scoop him up, supporting his head and wings. I carefully wrap him in my extra car hoody. I place him in my front passenger seat. Then I book it for the WRC (they take in rescued and injured birds and small wildlife). I’m just babbling at the crow as I drive. Talking to him, saying ‘I’m going as fast as I can. Please don’t die. It’ll be okay.’ I don’t touch him unless I had to.
I get there. Carry him inside. They take him to the back. I fill out a form with some information. I was given a card with an ID number and phone numbers. I could call on my “rescue”. See if he makes it. I was told he’s in bad shape. They’ll do their best. He probably wouldn’t make it. He had numerous broken bones, his wing was broken, he’s got some illness in his lungs, mites, a concussion, and an infected head wound.
I called a week later. Learned his gender. They said he was stable now, doing better, but not out of the woods yet. I lose the card not long after. I find it in August of 2016. I call to check in on him. He had a long recovery time for a rescued injured bird. But, he made a full recovery and was successfully released into the wild! I thought him each time I saw a crow. If they were in the road or beside it, I started slowing down. Gave them extra space if I could.
The story doesn’t end there.
That October I got married to an abusive spouse. We separated in November cause he tried to kill me. Divorce was a nightmare. May of 2017 is a low point in my life. Still trying to get divorced. My family home is being sold. My dog Eddie just passed away. I’m outside crying while I eat. I hear a crow caw. That gets my attention.
Some context, my neighbor hates crows. So much hate. He routinely shot at them one day and killed three or so. They left my neighborhood after that. I hadn’t heard or seen a crow by my house in years (for good reason). But, for the first time in many years, I heard a crow’s caw.
I look up. There, not ten feet away was a crow. I was stunned. He was watching me, staying out of reach. But he was really close for a wild animal. I wipe away some tears and smile at him.
“Aren’t you a brave one? I thought you guys avoided my neighborhood cause my neighbor shots crows on sight,” I say. I figure he wants my food. I toss him a piece of cheese. He goes for it.
The crow chilling in my yard had a gnary scar. A big one on his head. In the same spot the crow I rescued had a huge, puss-filled injury. I realized that this was the crow I rescued a year ago. Exactly one year since he was released into the wild, he managed to find me. Risked death to check in on me. After that? My luck started getting improving. I got the news my Divorce was finalized. I found stuff I feared lost inside my house. I found purpose after losing hope.
To this day, if I can, I leave little bits of food if I see crows. After my mom sold the house and I moved, I always found my new residences full of crows. They routinely caw a greeting at me. I wave and say hi. I chase away stray cats who I find stalking crows who are eating food I left out for them.