Spirit of the Crow -- and a wary buck.

crow photo by my friend Ulanawa Foote 
photo reprinted with permission from : http://turtlesaw.blogspot.com/

(NOTE: Turtle Saw is a spirtually uplifting nature blog with incredible photography)

There is a quickening in the land. Seasons are changing. 
Gentle rains of black walnuts signal summer is waning. 
So does the endless night song of crickets. 
As days shorten hummingbirds at the feeder accelerate their activity.
 But pehaps no creature senses this quickening more, and shares the news more loudly than the crow.
 He sees all. He knows all. And he forgets little.
And sometimes he screams  his secrets, building a reputation as a noisy spirit of the woods and fields. 
But somtimes he is silent.
And he just watches.
Look into his eyes and you see wisdom.
And strength.

Crow calls when the owl flies home to the pines.
Crows call when the neighbor's cat stalks birds.
Crow calls when the coyote crosses the road.
Crow calls when the tractor coughs to life.

Crow watches me walk my meadow; but this  ka ka ka  - if  it happens at all -  is not an alarm. 
It is less shrill. He knows my ways and my passings.
His tail feathers and head bob with his song.
I like to think it is  a greeting for me. Only crow knows.
I always "ka ka ka" my hello back as I enter his haunts.
If I lived in the city my neighbors would think me a bit strange. (They might be right.)

But for reasons I do not know when the buck of late summer walks through the tall grass meadow, 
crow watches and says nothing of buck's stealthy passing.  
Crows silence speaks loudly to the buck.
And buck understands.

photo by Bob Davis ( a neighbor who share his passion for wildlife)