Scary crow isn't scaring the clever crows of Killarney

Bad storms three years ago had caused severe damage to the structure so delicate restoration of much of the roof and glass panels and replacement of timber which had rotted over the years took place throughout 2023.

But almost as soon as the work was finished, the resident population of Muckross rooks began taking the putty.

And how is the new scarecrow working out? 

Well, the crows are still having the odd nibble at the fresh putty. 

On a visit there last week we saw a large black rook fly nonchalantly past the fake crow to return to the putty.

There was a theory that the Muckross crows were picking at the putty for the nourishing linseed oil, especially outside the main tourist season when diners’ sandwich scraps are scarce. But it may also have been due to boredom during the winter, experts believe.

When the putty-picking phenomenon was first spotted in February this year, Niall Hatch of Birdwatch Ireland said the Muckross crows may well be eating the strong-smelling new putty, because of the linseed oil. But they may also have been 'vandalising' due to boredom, Hatch thinks.

"Part of me thinks the rooks are playing. They are incredibly intelligent and with intelligence comes boredom," he explained.

All species of crows are very smart and good at solving problems.

Ireland's corvid population — rooks are just one of the four main species which also include grey crows, jackdaws and magpies — is healthy so far. Indeed, Ireland is one of the best places still to observe crows, Hatch says.

Ornithologist and bird surveyor Ed Carty who is based in Kerry but works as a bird monitor in several counties says crows are underestimated when it comes to the great work they do for us humans. And he agrees with Hatch, that crows should be appreciated for their intelligence.

Ed has a number of Kerry crow stories. In the 1990s, Kerry Airport installed a crow banger to keep the birds off the runway. But after some time airport workers noticed the crows utilising the timing the banger in the cold weather.

"It was generating heat and three or four crows would go and sit on it. Seconds before the bang they would walk off the device and return to the heat after it. And then fly off all over again just seconds before it went off.” In other words, the crows were able to 'count' or keep time and to anticipate the bang. 

"Crows are very very clever," Carty notes. 

He has seen them in Blennerville near Tralee dropping oysters and other shellfish from a height onto a hard surface so the shell is broken and they can eat the flesh: "They keep dropping it until the shell breaks."

The ancient Aesop’s fable called The Crow and the Pitcher also features a clever corvid. There is a dry spell and a crow sees a pitcher with water at the bottom. But she can’t get her beak down the narrow neck of the jug to drink and so she comes up with a clever device of dropping pebbles into the pitcher to raise the water level.

Ed Carty says crows actually do this still to get at water and the old fable has now been scientifically proven.

The bigger the crow species, the longer they will live. Ravens can live up to 15 years.

Farmers may be among the greatest enemies of crows but the species is not very popular with non farmers either as they eat the nest eggs of other birds.

But we need crows, Ed says: “Crows are our 'vultures'. They do a lot of clearing up. If you drop something, they pick it up,” says Carty.

Yes, they are vermin — but we need them, he adds.

In the UK and the US crows — especially ravens because of their glossy blackness — are considered harbingers of death. But even this is being challenged these days on TikTok where posts about friendships between crows and humans have garnered hundreds of thousands of followers.

In fact, there is an online community dedicated to overcoming prejudice against crows. The posts highlight the cleverness of crows and how they attach themselves as friends to individuals.

A corner called ' CrowTok' has exploded in popularity in the past two years.

TikTok user Tyler Krumland details how he befriended a gentleman crow, and later the crow’s friends. Each time he walks out now, even with his dog in tow, crows follow him, and these include various species. It has garnered 2.5 million views.

Other posts on crowtok feature talking crows and what to feed crows and even how to provide a relaxing pool for them to bathe and eat during warm weather.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, so to speak, the Muckross rooks are pecking away. The National Parks and Wildlife Service says it not too worried so far, but it will seek a long-term solution.

"While the position remains that the NPWS is delighted to have been able to restore the glasshouses at Muckross to their former glory, we have, indeed, noticed that rooks are picking away at the putty. At this point we still do not consider it to be a significant problem. We are continuing to consult with the conservation architect with regard to long-term solutions that are both sympathetic to the building and have no negative impact on the birds. We will continue to monitor the activity on site," a spokesman said.