A Little Girl’s Gifts from her Feathered Friends

Watching and feeding the birds is one of the wonderful things about having a garden, but that in itself is pleasure enough. But imagine if the birds reciprocated? Crows in particular often bond with the humans that feed them, and that's how it is for eight-year-old Gabi Mann from Seattle in the US, who often receives presents of her own from her feathered friends. She holds a collection of tiny gifts bestowed upon her - shiny beads, a Lego brick, a black zip, and so much more - all neatly sorted and looked after. And every single thing in her collection was given to her by the crows from her garden. You can see just a fraction of her presents in the cover picture above. This wonderfully odd relationship began in 2011, when she was only four years old. She would accidentally drop food, and the crows would come and swoop it off the ground. They soon learnt to wait for her, and she in turn started sharing her school packed lunch with them on purpose. And her little brother would join in. "I like that they love animals and are willing to share," said Gabi's mum, Lisa, of her generous children. The family started offering food to the birds as part of their daily ritual, rather than scraps. They would fill a bathtub in the back garden with water and put peanuts on the bird tables. Gabi would even throw handfuls of dog food onto the lawn, the crows watching her every movement. Although some people find crows creepy and unnerving, they are very intelligent birds, and it wasn't long after this ritual was adopted that little gifts would appear. The crows would leave shiny trinkets on the bird table after clearing it of peanuts. The birds tend to bring anything small enough to fit in their beaks, usually shiny, but not all of Gabi's presents have been of the pretty variety. Saying that, she did receive half of a "best friend" necklace, which leads the little girl to wonder if they still have the other half! Professor John Marzluff is a professor of wildlife sciences at the University of Washington, specialising in birds - especially crows and ravens. "If you want to form a bond with a crow, be consistent in rewarding them," Professor Marzluff said. He added that peanuts still in their shells are good foods because they are high in energy, but also make a sound when you throw them on the ground. Of course, these kinds of presents are not guaranteed and who wants to give just to receive anyway? It seems as though this little girl has formed a truly special bond with the birds in her neighbourhood, and she is a wonderful example of how we should all treat animals.