Crow & Clam
This American Crow worked the low tide just as if it were a Black Oystercatcher, foraging for shellfish. But when it found a clam, an important difference between the crow and the oystercatcher turned up. The crow’s beak may be sharp, but it’s not hard enough to pry open the clamshell. The oystercatcher could do that easily. After poking around for a while and making frustrated k-k-k-k noises, the crow finally picked up the clam and flew off to the top of the nearby Barn Owl box. From there — not shown in the video — it dropped the clam on hard ground, where it broke, and that was the end of that. The crow then returned to the water’s edge looking for seconds. Sea gulls do the same thing with clams and mussels; you’ll sometimes find broken shells on the paved perimeter trail.
