Northwestern Crow - Corvus caurinus
Its such a special part of the world it turns out it has its own species of crow. Not a subspecies but a whole separate split from the American Crow. This really is a specialist restricted to the temperate rainforest coast of the Pacific North-West. In the main it forages on the intertidal mudflats and rocks for clams, mussels and crabs.
It looks as if the American Crow is expanding into its range though and will literally breed it out. It only exists now on the islands and less densely populated coastlines. The notes I have read suggest that DNA sampling is needed to "test" the extent to which the population is holding out. Where towns build up and the opportunities with rubbish and so on the American less specialist crows move in and the truly wild Northwestern crows get squeezed out. I would like to think that here just next to the Pacific Rim National Park this crow perched above some mussel covered rocks is a true representative of the specialist species. They are certainly everywhere on the coast - hacking away at shell fish and bouncing through the stranded kelp.
I will leave you with sunset from last night. The same promontory I walked out along to catch my Surf Scoters this morning. The light here at all times of day is striking. As I am typing a sea mist is rolling in off the beach swirling past the beach houses - the clouds of vapour visible between the pine branches. It's Jurassic.
Northwestern Crow, Corvus caurinus
Torfino, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
2 August 2014
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