a peek inside the fishbowl

We were at my in-laws on a hot day last week when we were alerted to the fact that there was a crow hopping around the front lawn. Correction, it was hobbling, in a rather ungraceful kind of way. So of course, being the bird nerds that we are, we had to investigate. Turns out it was a juvenile, you can tell by the blue eyes:

He was a little rough around the edges, that was for sure, and we quickly found out why… there were burrs in his underfeathers, which was probably making life really uncomfortable for him. Mark picked him up and we removed the burrs. It was hot, and he looked pretty thirsty (basically, he was hanging around with his mouth open), so we filled a small bowl with water and placed it in front of him. He wasn’t really drinking – and we weren’t sure if it was because of the bowl – so we got a paper towel, dipped it in the water, and wrung a few drops into his mouth. He seemed to like that.

Not pictured: the little bits of cherry and bits of dog kibble we offered up as a snack. After awhile Junior decided the water dish wasn’t so bad. In fact, it was a rather comfortable place to sit:

Afterwards Mark looked up some info about baby crows, and found out some good information which I thought might be useful to share here.

1) If you find a young crow hopping around the ground, don’t worry, this is just a natural state of things. The fact that they’re staggering around like a drunken sailor doesn’t necessarily mean they’re injured, they’re just not great at walking. Like many birds (robins, for example), young crows will leave the nest before they are able to get a good grip on flying. This seems counter-intuitive, but the nest is really just a cradle, not a playpen for young birds. This one just happened to land in a bunch of burrs on the way down.

2) Juvenile crows know well enough to hide in the bushes away from predators, such as household cats. Its parents are probably keeping an eye on it, if not the parents, other adult crows, because crows have complex social structures and look out for one another.

3) This is why calling animal control is a bad idea. Your intent is good, but ultimately you’re removing the crow from its home and family. It’s best just to leave them alone.

So what happened to our baby crow? It eventually hopped away. We heard adult crows cawing in the distance, and spotted a family of three sitting on a lamp post nearby. Hopefully, keeping a watchful eye on the youngest member of their flock.

I’ve mentioned bubble tea on the blog before but since it’s one of our favourite things to do in Ottawa during the summer months I thought it deserved a fresh mention!

Step one: drive to Somerset Street and park the car.
Step two: walk, and poke your head into any shop that tweaks your curiosity along the way.
Step three: acquire bubble tea.

Have you had bubble tea? It’s cold, creamy, sweet, and delightfully chewy. There are a number of places to buy it, but we like My Sweet Tea.

You can also make your own bubble tea if you’re up for it!

Feeling munchy? You can pick up four spring rolls for a dollar at Kowloon Market just up the street (712 Somerset):

Related: a trip to T&T Supermarket (224 Hunt Club Rd.) is also an excellent diversion. And it’s air conditioned! Also: there’s also sushi to be had there, so maybe you should time that one over lunch. :)

Many moons ago I was interviewed for an article about blogging. This, in itself, is not that unusual. Sometimes I’m interviewed and I never hear about it again or see the resulting article. Other times, people start tweeting and emailing as soon as the publication hits their mailbox. This was one of those times!

15+ years ago, people were asking me: “What is your BLAW-g about? And why would anyone read it?” Today, there are millions of blogs, being read by millions of people. Whether they’re product reviews or restaurant recommendations or political rants, blogs are having an impact on Life as We Know It, and will continue to do so as long as people have a voice and an Internet connection.

We sure have come a long way, haven’t we? :)

My part in this article is a small one but it’s very nice to be mentioned – and recognized – nonetheless. I’m very happy that Costco decided to shine a spotlight on some great Canadian blogs. Apparently Costco Connection is the highest circulation publication in Canada, so if blogs weren’t totally mainstream and legit before, they certainly are now!

What’s YOUR favourite Canadian blog to read? I’d love for us to come up with a good list…!

Edited to add: You can read the article online right here.