Pot Fishing for Crow

We fish with nets, we fish with hook and line, and we fish with pots. There's crab pots for catching crab and shrimp pots for catching shrimp. I never thought about fishing for birds...

A few weeks ago there was the sharp rap of a hard snail shell hitting the top of the boat. Over and over. Crows drop shells on hard surfaces to break them and get to the meats inside. Sometimes, when they choose our boat to open their breakfast on, I shoo them away. That morning I tried to ignore them.

Bird cage, Alaska style.

Awhile later the noises changed. There was a scuffling sound, and two crow voices that didn't have their standard raucous ring. I pulled my jacket on and went to see what those kids were up to.

Apparently one of the crows dropped a shell and it bounced into a crab pot that we store on the upper deck. The crow figured out how to go in through the gate to retrieve it's snack, but couldn't get back out!

Crow in crowbar hotel. Oh the shame of it all.

So I took it's picture. How embarrassing. Tough to tell if a crow is blushing, though.

It's buddy hightailed it for a neighboring boat from which there was a good view of the goings on.

Have you ever had a job that made you feel like this?

No photos of the moment of release. I was a little busy right then, opening the lid and gently convincing the crow that it was free to go.

For the next week two crows hung around on a neighboring boat and yelled at my sweetheart every time he walked by. We don't speak crow, so we aren't quite sure if they were talking nice or not.

Appreciating freedom,

Alaska Beachcomber