Female Northern Harrier fending off a pesky American Crow - Horseshoe Pond - Concord, NH 04-08-15

Crows.... smartest bird around... its a fact. But they are not my favorite because as I silently move thru the forest, watching every footfall, if there is a crow around, it will squawk constantly and let everyone know I'm around.
Conversely, they attack any Raptor that may have put down in "their" territory. I' am usually out searching for Raptors, so when I hear a bunch of crows screaming, or see them repeatedly dive bomb a certain tree, I know something of interest to me is there.
It amazes me that the much larger and deadlier Raptors almost always ignore them, and eventually tire of their harassment. In fact, I have only once seen a raptor turn and attack the crows for more than a quick charge as the Raptor left the area. It was a female Northern Harrier... and she meant business. Agile and nimble in the air, it amazed me that she did not bring down any of the Crows... she may have given them a good claw swipe or two, but she was content to simply turn the tables on the Crows. They never did leave, but they kept their distance after this and did not attack again.
Read less