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Index of Subjects --Apple-Mail-246-526837983 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi Hans, On 25-Jan-10, at 3:33 PM, Hans Toom wrote: > There was a Coyote that wandered into the field and at one point was > surrounded by crows. Perhaps the crows were looking to remove > parasitic insects from the Coyote. I've never seen this kind of > risky behaviour before although I have seen Black-billed Magpies > ride the backs of Mountain Goats in the Rocky Mountains. The Brown- > headed Cowbird is well known with its relationship with cows. An interesting photograph. Large corvids such as crows and ravens often cooperate to steal food from predators like wolves, bears, etc. They also seem to relish "teasing" the animals. When I was growing up in New Brunswick we repeatedly had ravens that would "tease" our samoyed dogs by flying just out of reach above them, or would peck at their tails to distract them from chewing on a bone, which they would then attempt to steal. They would taken (apparently) brazen risks in closely approaching a dog, but were never caught by one. I suspect this is what's going on here. Except perhaps for ticks and fleas there wouldn't be parasitic insects on coyotes at this time of year. Crows don't engage in this sort of behavior and I can't imagine a coyote sitting still for it, let alone it being worthwhile for crows to attempt, given the risks of being killed. Cheers! Chris Christopher Majka Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 2G5 c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca "If you don't know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else." - Yogi Berra --Apple-Mail-246-526837983 Content-Type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi Hans,<div><br><div><div>On = 25-Jan-10, at 3:33 PM, Hans Toom wrote:</div><br = class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type=3D"cite"><span = class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"border-collapse: separate; color: = rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; = font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; = letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: = auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; = widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; = -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; = -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: = auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div = bgcolor=3D"#ffffff"><div><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" = style=3D"font-family: Arial; font-size: small; ">There was = a <strong>Coyote</strong> that wandered into the field and at = one point was surrounded by crows. Perhaps the crows were = looking to remove parasitic insects from the Coyote. I've never = seen this kind of risky behaviour before although I have = seen <strong>Black-billed Magpies</strong> ride the backs = of <strong>Mountain Goats</strong> in the Rocky Mountains. = The <strong>Brown-headed Cowbird</strong> is well known with = its relationship with cows.</span></div><div><font size=3D"2" = face=3D"Arial"></font></div></div></span></blockquote></div><br></div><div= >An interesting photograph. Large corvids such as crows and ravens often = cooperate to steal food from predators like wolves, bears, etc. They = also seem to relish "teasing" the animals. When I was growing up in New = Brunswick we repeatedly had ravens that would "tease" our samoyed dogs = by flying just out of reach above them, or would peck at their tails to = distract them from chewing on a bone, which they would then attempt to = steal. They would taken (apparently) brazen risks in closely approaching = a dog, but were never caught by one.</div><div><br></div><div>I suspect = this is what's going on here. Except perhaps for ticks and fleas there = wouldn't be parasitic insects on coyotes at this time of year. Crows = don't engage in this sort of behavior and I can't imagine a coyote = sitting still for it, let alone it being worthwhile for crows to = attempt, given the risks of being = killed.</div><div><br></div><div>Cheers!</div><div><br></div><div>Chris</d= iv><br><br><div apple-content-edited=3D"true"> <span = class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"border-collapse: separate; color: = rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; = font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; = letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: = auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; = widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; = -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; = -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: = auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div style=3D"word-wrap: = break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: = after-white-space; "><div><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" = style=3D"font-size: 14px; "><div>Christopher Majka</div><div>Halifax, = Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 2G5</div><div><a = href=3D"mailto:c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca">c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca</a></div><= div><br></div><div><i>"If you don't know where you are going, you will = wind up somewhere else."</i> - Yogi = Berra</div></span></div><div><br></div></div></span><br = class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"> </div><br></body></html>= --Apple-Mail-246-526837983--
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