Thank you for your service

[samhexum]

A woman rescued a crow after noticing it was stuck in a gutter, and says she's been receiving "thank you gifts" from the bird and its friends since.

Leah Wilson of British Columbia, Canada, recalled the event to CTV News. Wilson said that she recently noticed dozens of crows "dive-bombing" and "circling" one of the houses in her neighborhood, which led her to discover one of the dark-colored birds stuck in the rain gutter on a roof that was too high to reach with a standard-length ladder.

"I was really distressed," she recalled to the outlet, "and I knew I had to do something about it."

Luckily, Wilson noticed a fire truck parked a few blocks away and decided to recruit the friendly firefighters for a quick rescue mission.

"I was like, 'Hey! You look like you want to save a crow today,'" she said. "The firefighters were so gracious and wonderful. My heart was so full."

In a video from the rescue mission obtained by CTV News, two firefighters use a large silver ladder to hoist themselves up onto the roof and bring the bird to safety. Following the rescue, Wilson transported the bird to an animal rehabilitation center for further evaluation.

"He latched on to my finger and held on," she recalled of the crow. "That was life-changing."

The facility later informed Wilson that the injured bird had recovered enough from its minor injuries to be released back into the wild.

The woman said that after the crow was released, she received a "thank-you gift" from the neighborhood bird or one of its crow friends. Wilson noted that the gift arrived when a crow "flew down and dropped this beautiful, feathered bundle" at her feet as she was walking with her dog.

Since then, Wilson said, crows have been dropping various items at her feet in similar ways and have been more present and friendly during her daily walks.

"I grew up with understanding the importance of having a relationship with the natural world," Wilson emphasized to the outlet. "It feels so good. It's like visiting my friends every morning and knowing they're going to be there."

"When we are aware of what is happening around us, there is so much potential to come together, and beautiful things can happen," Wilson shared, adding that seeing the crow she rescued is always a highlight of her day.

According to Wilson, she recognizes the bird by a small metal band attached to its leg by the rehabilitation center that cared for it.

Crows are highly intelligent creatures that have been observed using tools, recognizing human faces, and leaving objects behind for people who feed them.

[dutchal]

https://dev.welcomewildlife.com/worlds-smartest-birds/

https://a-z-animals.com/animals/birds/bird-facts/smartest-birds/