A feather in nature’s cap

During my walking regimen of 26 years I have been fascinated by glossy black-plumed crows. Sometimes there are huge flocks scrounging for food on lawns.

I consider them daredevil chance takers, especially when they are in the street eating carcasses. They are so focused that they get away from a speeding car just in time.

Recently I saw a crow bite the dust in the street for the first time. It was apparently pulverized by a speeding car.

Their duties are as sextons of the animal world, and they do a good job of cleaning up dead animals.

The only other dead crow I had ever seen was 80 years ago. It was brought home by my father Giovanni (John) the hunter. I was eight in 1932 during the height of the Great Depression. He wanted to show it to me and then threw it into the garbage can. It was caught in the line of sight of his 16 gauge double barreled shotgun, while aiming at a pheasant.

‘Eat crow’

As the old saying goes, you would have to “eat crow” if you goofed, which many of us have done. I don’t know anyone that ever ate crow, even during the Depression. We ate pheasants, quail, pigeons, grouse, etc. I can only recall eating pheasants.

Today’s crows enjoy raiding my plastic garage bags and eating grubs in the lawn.

Within the past few years, I have seen another daredevil bird that brings back memories of long ago — about 70 years. At the Austintown Plaza I have to dodge seagulls in the parking lot and they take their good old time moving out of the way.

During World War II they followed our ship the U.S.S. LST 582 while we were on a shakedown cruise in the Gulf of Mexico off of Panama City, Fla, The year was 1943. They were also scavengers.

I don’t want to forget the most popular bird of all, then and now, the chicken.

Michael J. Lacivita is a Youngstown retiree and member of the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame and Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame.