Tango Steinke learned she had some rowdy neighbors when she first moved into her townhouse in Virginia. She gave the name Doc and Dottie to a pair of crows that settled behind her house and claimed the territory around it.
Steinke decided to befriend the crow couple in the best way she knew how.
“They’d come through randomly, and I’d throw peanuts their way,” Steinke told The Dodo. “I was already feeding the other birds and squirrels, so extending the feed to the crows just made sense.”
Food supplies grew sparse throughout the winter, and Doc and Dottie began coming almost every day. When I got inside, they would not approach me but instead go eat the peanuts, according to Steinke. “During the first month of frequent visits, they raised their voices to announce their presence. On the weekends, they would crow at my bedroom window until I got out of bed to feed them.
The crow couple occasionally invited others to partake in the feast. Off of her balcony on the third floor, Steinke constructed a little perch for the crows.
@tangobird They couldn’t carry it all themselves #corvid #crow #crowtok #birdwatchinggoesbothways #bird #crowfriends #fyp #foryou #crowvid #crowtiktok ♬ original sound – Tango
In return for helping them through the winter, the crows decided to show their gratitude.
That’s when Steinke found a worn, grey pebble on the perch.
@tangobird Crows are amazing. #crowtiktok #corvid #crow #crowtok #birdwatchinggoesbothways #freemoney #fyp #foryou #birdtok #crowtok ♬ original sound – Tango
In order to share it with everyone, Steinke stated, “I had gone out to feed when I noticed it and hurried for my camera.” Since then, they have left a variety of presents, including a Coke tab, a button, acorns, metal pieces, a broken marble, and ceramic fragments.
I typically discover anything in the feeder from them once a month, she said.
But gifts weren’t the only things that Doc and Dottie brought. Last spring, a new addition arrived at feeding time — a baby crow. Now, the family of three have become more than just Steinke’s neighbors.
They’ve become friends.
@tangobird I finally had to tell them #PUBGMOBILE #crows #corvid #birdwatchinggoesbothways #fyp #crowtiktok #newfriends #birds ♬ original sound – Tango
More than just birds dining in my yard, according to Steinke. They linger out on the playground, accompany us to the bus stop in the morning, and, perhaps most significantly, sound the alarm if one of my children trips over.
She said, “I’m not sure if they’re just looking out for them or if they don’t trust me to raise them. But whenever we walk outside, they are never too far away.
The crows have grown to trust her after two years and are certain that she would help them if they ever needed it.
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