Crows!

Yesterday in our backyard, we witnessed a crow chasing away what appeared to be a baby skunk. The crow not only chased the critter away, but stood there for awhile even after the skunk had taken off, making it clear that outsiders aren't welcome. No harm came to the baby skunk, who was just exercising his/her own sense of exploration.

We are in crow nesting season, which explains the extra-vigilent behavior. Mother is sitting on her egg, carefully guarding her investment. I'm not sure which member of this crow family did the chasing, but as I understand it, crows have helpers during breeding season; these helpers are typically family members, offspring from a previous season.

I've always liked crows, but after reading books like Birdology and Crow Planet, I am fascinated by them.