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abstractentity

@abstractentity

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📸 Chronicler & illustrator of the Corvid Council
🐦‍⬛ Real crows • questionable lore • whimsical witnessings
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📍 London, UK

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👇🏻🐦‍⬛ FAQ 🐦‍⬛👇🏻

🐦‍⬛ Salted or unsalted cashews?
UNSALTED AND UNSEASONED! The same amount of salt that's harmless to us, is toxic to birds.

🐦‍⬛ Does it have to be cashews?
No. Cashews are my pick (Aldi, £1.69 for 200g). Anything unsalted and unseasoned that's high in protein and fat works, though this varies with the seasons. A Google search will tell you which foods are crow-safe.

🐦‍⬛ Isn’t this harmful?
No. Crows are opportunistic omnivores who eat worms, berries, carrion, and (this being an urban park) literal trash. 200g of cashews is 1-2 nuts per crow every few days. They won't get habituated nor will they become reliant on me for food.

🐦‍⬛ STOP FEEDING WILDLIFE!
This video is about crows specifically, not wildlife in general; treating it as the same issue just muddles whatever point you're trying to make.

🐦‍⬛ Is it illegal to feed crows?
Not where I live (UK), but do check wildlife bylaws in your area.

🐦‍⬛ Why is it illegal to feed crows in some places?
Because dumping large quantities of food in one place attracts vermin, and certain foods make them sick (e.g. bread, avocado, chocolate, mouldy, seasoned or salted/processed food).

🐦‍⬛ What happens when you go on holiday?
Nothing. I’m not their primary or secondary food source; they'd be 100% fine if I stopped tomorrow.

🐦‍⬛ What happens when you go to the park without treats?
They see me and land nearby, but if I keep walking, they stay behind and carry on with their day.

🐦‍⬛ Do they follow you home?
No. This is their home; they live in specific territories across the park and never follow past their own patch.

🐦‍⬛ Can you train them to attack people/steal money/bring you gifts/commit crimes?
No, and I'd never want to. These are wild animals, they don't owe us anything. I've no interest in training them, using them, or causing them stress.

🐦‍⬛ Aren't these ravens/rooks?
No, these are carrion crows. There are no wild ravens in this area of London. (srsly just Google it) by @abstractentity

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3 months ago

Recent witnessings, as witnessed by one (1) dubiously witty witness.

#livelaughwitness #whimsymaxxing by @abstractentity

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6 hours ago

Fog v.2. Figured these deserved their own post 🖤

I usually spend far too long tinkering with captions so here’s my raw idea for this - something lyrical and whimsy about how the fog is seeping in their feathers. Or maybe they’re slowly turning into the stone beneath their feet. So just imagine that, but nicely written and concise. by @abstractentity

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2 days ago

And for a slippery moment, the edges of my vision blurred white; how small the world became, only as big as the steps I took.

#lostinthefog #carrioncrow #7am by @abstractentity

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4 days ago

Today’s drama: the consequences of not making thy offering to thee Corvid Overlords fast enough.

Nobody was hurt, this is just the crow equivalent of smacking a vending machine in the hopes some snacks might come out. (FYI if this happens to you, stay calm and don’t give them anything as you don’t want to reward this behaviour). I also started walking backwards and staring at them to discourage any further boops lol.

Just to add that this is a pretty common occurrence, I just never catch it on film as I’m not in the business of filming my double chin! Alas, today you get an exclusive view right up my nostrils, nose hairs glistening in the morning sun and all. You might even see far enough to spot a neuron or two. Lucky you! Thank dog I’m not tall enough so nobody ever looks at me from this angle. Ok bye.

Ps. Yes it was pretty funny.

#carrioncrow #witnessed #tickletickle #helloimacrowandwelcometojackass #survivor by @abstractentity

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8 days ago

Palettes of the Corvid Council, No. 1.
Containing four (4) colours and corresponding hex codes. No actual hexing involved, or so the Council says.

#colourpalette #crowsofinstagram #crowcore #corvidcouncil #gaillardia by @abstractentity

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10 days ago

Florist crow would like to sell you her last flower for the special price of one (1) cashew. No refunds. She has children to feed and a mortgage to pay.

#carrioncrow #crowsofinstagram #smallbusinessbigdreams #salesbirdofthemonth #shoplocal Carrion crow posing behind a small bush of silver leaves, beside one very bright yellow flower by @abstractentity

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13 days ago

Behold, my very own mini muse (don’t tell Tootsie) - known as lil’ Popcorn Cowboy, aka CrowGPT, aka baby Chippiti to friends and family - rendered as a sentient ball of very handsome and ever so slightly aggressive lint.

Doodles in Procreate, using brushes ‘dry ink’, ‘edge control’ (@jingsketch), ‘conte clean’ and ‘shader pastel soft’ (both @maxulichney). ED Celandine license bought from youworkforthem.com - support ya goddamn artists pls✨

Scroll to the end for evidence that Chippiti does indeed have a neck 🤧

#idontbelieveinhashtags by @abstractentity

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14 days ago

Earlier this week, I stumbled into a fairy ring. Except, on closer inspection, it was a circle of chicken shop garlic mayo packets.
Anyway, here are some witnessings from the other sauce, I mean— the other side.
(bon appetit) by @abstractentity

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16 days ago

What was Tootsie looking at? Wrong answers only. by @abstractentity

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17 days ago

And now, for something a little different, I have doodled a very serious and totally real event - the crow who took a bite out of the sun. Alas, crows can’t chew, but they can tear and pull and jab, and so now this crow wears the tangle of the consequences. Or the consequences of the tangle. Don’t ask. I’m tired. The sun has also declined to comment.

Done with Procreate, the brushes used were dry ink (inking) and edge control (by @jingsketch), traced from a photo I took. If anyone even dares suggest this is AI, may your favourite biscuits be discontinued and your socks forever slightly damp.

#crowart #procreate by @abstractentity

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18 days ago

With large followings come similarly worded questions... Overall, this is my “why”: I feed crows purely because I enjoy their company, at whatever distance they choose to be from me.

This isn't about anyone in particular - I'm simply answering my most frequently asked questions (sitting on this tiny wildflower hill, encircled by crows, ready to die on it lol).

And if your first instinct is to comment “don't feed wildlife!”, then this post isn’t for you. Flattening urban crows, who are opportunistic omnivores into “all wildlife”, does you both a disservice. Not all wildlife behaves the same, nor are the ecosystems they live in. Urban crows already subsist on our rubbish, the realistic question isn’t whether we feed them or not - it’s whether what they’re eating is clean and safe.

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🐦‍⬛Mini FAQ🐦‍⬛

"What do you feed the crows?"

Tl;dr - Anything unsalted and unseasoned that's high in protein and fat works, though this varies with the seasons.

Top picks:
✦ Plain cashews. I'm in the UK (London) and Aldi does 200g bags for £1.69. That usually lasts me 1 week, which is 2-3 visits.
✦ Shelled peanuts from Sainsbury's; a 500g bag costs £2.50 (but avoid these during nesting season, as parents can give them to chicks whole, and they can choke)
✦✦ Important: a small amount is enough - this is a snack, not a meal. You don't want to create dependency or fights.

A few other things they've enjoyed:
✦ Almonds, walnuts and pecans
✦ Plain, roast sweet potato
✦ Cut up green grapes (so they don't choke) and watermelon
✦ Water - but beware they might try and steal the container for the lols

Things to avoid:
🚫 Bread fills them up without providing nutritional content
🚫 Avocado, chocolate, onions & garlic, fruit pits
🚫 Anything salted, seasoned, processed, old or mouldy

A Google search will tell you which other foods are crow-safe. ❤︎ by @abstractentity

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a month ago