In "Minsk World", crows built a nest right on a tower crane and now demand a "bribe" from the crane operator

The very nest. Photo by Eduard

"At first, I tried to remove the nest"

This story began a little less than two weeks ago when the birds made their first attempt to build a nest on the crane.

"At first, they took a liking to the trolley, but it's not static: it moves back and forth," recalls the crane operator. "— And they moved to the tower and chose a section about 20 meters high from the ground as a building site. At first, I knocked down all these twigs and other materials that the birds brought, several times I removed the unfinished nest, but they started building it again.

As a result, Eduard gave in and even helped his new neighbors with construction — he placed a wire ring in the nest.

From conflict to good neighborliness

However, he didn't receive gratitude from the birds. On the contrary, when the nest was ready and eggs began to appear in it, the pair became aggressive: they attacked the builder, who, to get to his workplace at a height of 70 meters and return to the ground, had to climb up and down through the crows' dwelling.

"I've already encountered a similar situation when I worked at a construction site in St. Petersburg, so I knew how to appease them," says Eduard. "— I started taking treats for the birds with me to work: I buy liver, I bring dry food that I feed to my pets. I leave all this near the nest and move on."

Павялічыць

Hooded crows fiercely protect their nests from ill-wishers. Photo by Inna Shkurko

Receiving regular gifts from the human, the crows figured out that he wasn't going to harm them or their offspring. Now they don't attack the crane operator. They simply fly away from the nest when he appears, and then return and enjoy the "bribe".

"If I linger at work, they start making noise, hinting that it's time for me to go," shares the builder about the nuances of their neighborhood. "— Now there are already five eggs in the nest, a new one appears every day. I'll observe how this family story ends."

Ornithologist: "Such a choice of location is atypical"

As ornithologist Aliaksandr Vincheuski told smartpress.by, such a choice of nesting site is atypical for Belarusian crows.

"The story is non-trivial, I haven't heard of such cases here," emphasizes the expert. "— I've read about similar cases in Moscow. Generally, I don't recall our crows building nests on artificial supports; they use unusual materials in construction, for example, wire, but the support is always trees. Artificial structures are more often used by ravens: they build nests on power lines, lightning rods… Although these are more 'wild' birds than crows."

Павялічыць

Building nests on artificial structures is more typical for ravens (he is in the photo). Photo by Inna Shkurko

As for the distance from the ground, according to the interlocutor, a crow's nest can be at a height of 20 meters in nature if the tree allows it, but usually their dwellings are lower, somewhere from 5 meters.

Why the birds chose such a strange place for the nest is difficult to say. The ornithologist says that they explore the territory before starting construction. And, of course, they take all factors into account, including the fact that a human regularly passes by their future home.

"The operator works at a height of 70 meters, he doesn't climb up and down often, probably doesn't always come down for lunch, because food can be taken up," suggests Aliaksandr Vincheuski. "— And twice a day, the disturbance for the birds is not that significant, as we can see. Especially since they are used to a specific person and see that he is not dangerous."

Павялічыць

A hooded crow takes a bath. Photo by Maria Dubavets

The ornithologist reminded: nests with clutches and chicks are forbidden to be removed in Belarus at the legislative level. During construction, it is allowed to do so, but, as we can see, in Eduard's case, attempts to scare away the birds were unsuccessful: the birds proved more persistent than the human.

Aliaksandr Vincheuski adds: if everything turns out happily for the family, then the offspring of these ingenious parents are more likely to choose tower cranes for their nests than trees.

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