I love to stroll along the shore—the rhythmic sound of the waves relaxes me and often puts me into a contemplative frame of mind. When I spotted this crow on a recent trip to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I couldn’t help but think that the crow too was lost in its thoughts and enjoying the same therapeutic benefits of a stroll at the water’s edge.
I must confess that I do not know my crows very well. I assume that this is an American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos), but realize that it might instead be a Fish Crow (Corvus ossifragus). From what I have read, even experts sometimes have trouble visually distinguishing between the two species, though Fish Crows are substantially smaller than American Crows. Apparently some people can tell them apart by their calls, but this crow was silent, so I too will remain silent and simply identify the strolling bird as a crow.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I like that
I LOVE crows.. to end my day seeing your post… muah.. wonderful!
I’d love to know what the crow was thinking about. Apparently, they are among the smartest of birds. I read an article once that claimed that crows are too intelligent for their own good. It leads them to getting into trouble. This one seems trouble-free and contemplative, as you say. Nice image.
Stroll on and don’t worry about identification. Crow did not know your name either!! 🙂