u/SarahEL17

Fatigue

Even if I’m having minimal pain and my mental health is good, I am so exhausted All. The. Time. I keep thinking, “I’ll get it done after this flare up is over” or “I’ll do this when I’m emotionally feeling up to it”, but it doesn’t get done because I’ve exhausted myself going to work at an office job and just doing the basic things needed to survive.

I just needed to share this somewhere I know people will understand. I’ll get things done eventually, it’s just… ughhhh

Ok, I have a pretty “out there” idea. I have some “Crow Bros” (if unfamiliar, check out r/CrowBro) at home and because of how I’ve named them, I thought it would be incredible to have a portrait done of this particular murder.

I’ve named the main crow “Stephen Crowbeart”, his mate “Wicrowna Rider”, and their adult son who’s helping with this year’s chicks “Zachary Quincrow”

My idea is to have the crow mates riding on the back of a grizzly bear (the Crowbeart-Riders) and have Zachary Quincrow flying overhead.

I’d love for the crows to each have attributes of the people they’re named after with Stephen Crowbeart having glasses and a cocked eyebrow, Wicrowna Rider with some ruffled bangs, and Zachary Quincrow with *those* eyebrows. Basically a crow caricature of Stephen Colbert, Winona Ryder, and Zachary Quinto.

I’d like a natural setting such as in the woods, in a field, in the mountains, etc. The bear can be stoic or in action, but I just want it to look epic. I’d like the style to be somewhat realistic but also a bit silly considering the subject matter; kind of like epic fantasy meets quaint fairy tale meets late night comedy. Also, while I admire and appreciate the styles of anime and manga, I wouldn’t want it to look like anime or manga.

I’ve never done this before but any advice on where to find someone who can do this or anyone willing to discuss taking this on is greatly appreciated.

-

Edited to correct link to “Crow Bro” sub

TL; DR: Worried I may be doing some things wrong / about to do some things wrong with trying to scare squirrels away and setting up a trail cam.

I have some Crow Bros at both work and at home. I should probably mention that both areas are pretty rural with work being on the outskirts of Ashland, VA and home being on the outskirts of Mechanicsville, VA. As I understand, there’s quite the difference between urban/suburban crows and rural crows when it comes to human interaction, so I have been trying to keep this in mind but also want to make sure I’m doing all the right things.

First of all - squirrels. They weren’t an issue about a month and a half ago when I started feeding my Crow Bros, but at least one squirrel at work has become more and more bold, even charging at the crows when they come to feed (at least at work, I’m not able to see anything at home for the most part. - another question for later on). I know there’s no way to keep squirrels from getting into the crows’ food and I’m not exactly trying that deter them from that. I’ve even spread peanuts in another spot for either the squirrels to get that or for the crows to find some extra food in case the squirrels don’t see it. Since they started being aggressive towards the crows though, I’ve been going out and shoeing them away when it’s just the squirrel. I never do it if there’s a crow there or in sight, but there are trees all around so I assume they can see me doing that. It’s less to actually keep the squirrels away and more to let the crows know that the food I set out is for them specifically. It didn’t occur to me until now that it might actually make the crows more timid though, so I thought I’d check to see if you all thought I should stop or keep doing it.

Second, as I mentioned, I’m not really able to see anything at home. I’ve witnessed crows in and around the feeding site when I’ve left and come home from work, so I know they’re at least aware of me putting food out, but I haven’t seen anything yet. I live with my parents on 5 acres in a wooded area and my dad works on our yard quite a bit. I didn’t want to get in my dad’s way and I wanted the crows I’m feeding to feel as safe and secure as possible, so the place I feed them is by a tree in a clearing a little ways from our house. I understand that unless I’m able to spend more time near that spot, I probably won’t ever be able to interact with them, but I was thinking about putting a trail cam on a nearby tree facing the feeding spot. I’m aware of how well crows can hide in trees and how intelligent they are, so I was curious if anyone has done this or if you think this would be wise? I don’t know if they’d perceive it as a threat and would cause them to avoid the area, or if their curiosity would lead them to peck at it and possibly damage it.

For the work crows, I’ve gone out to spread more peanuts at their place, but have also sat out about ten feet away from there, facing away at about a 45 degree angle, and spread peanuts there too (I have a 5-pound bag of unsalted shelled peanuts, so there’s plenty). From what I’ve read, I think I’m doing that part right. I’m just wondering if anyone has any pointers or an idea of when I might expect the crows to come closer when I’m physically there. I have no problem with it taking a long time, but I just want to know if I’m doing everything right.

I’ve been wanting to do this for years, but now that I’m finally feeding them, I find that I’m questioning myself, and likely both overestimating and underestimating their intelligence.

Thank you so much, fellow Crow Bros!