Where Are All the Baby Crows?

This morning on the drive to work a weird random thought popped in my head… why have I never seen a baby crow? What does a baby crow even look like?

I see grown crows everywhere—on fence posts, in fields, perched on telephone wires, playing in the road with shiny objects—but I have no memory of ever seeing a baby one. It seemed odd that a bird so common could seemingly skip its childhood entirely.

Later in the day I did a little reading, and I learned that baby crows spend much of their early life hidden from view. Their nests are high up in the trees and by the time they leave the nest, they are already surprisingly large and able to navigate life. Newly fledged crows apparently hide in shrubs, trees, and sheltered areas while their parents continue feeding them. I read that crow families are tightly knit and the adults keep the young away from danger until they’re old enough to fend for themselves. So, by the time you notice a young crow, it's already been helped into crow society by a whole extended family.

I found myself wondering how many things in nature are like this. Entire chapters of a life unfolding beyond our awareness. We assume we understand the story because we see the ending, forgetting that most of what shapes a life happens out of sight.

It made me think about how often we make assumptions based only on what is visible. For instance, we see a finished painting, framed and on the wall, but not the hours of work that went into its creation. We see confidence in another person without witnessing the struggles that shaped them.

Perhaps this is true of almost everything worth becoming. Nature doesn't rush its young into the world before they're ready. Trees spend years strengthening unseen roots before reaching skyward. Even seasons quietly prepare for the next one long before we notice the change.

My father died when I was in my early 20’s, I struggled with infertility through my 20’s and into my 30’s, I cared for my mother for many years as she suffered with arthritis, and through all of these things, I had a job, studied yoga, delved deeply into Spiritualism and the esoteric arts including tarot and numerology. All of these experiences brought me to where I am today and no matter your age I’m sure you can reflect upon your own seasons of change and growth.

Looking back now, none of those years looked particularly remarkable from the outside. I went to work. I smiled. I carried on. Yet beneath the surface I was slowly becoming someone different. Those years shaped me far more than the outward moments ever did.

Learning how much of a crow's early life is hidden from view made me think about all the growth that happens in our own lives without anyone else ever seeing it.

Perhaps we are not meant to witness every beginning. Some things need the shelter of quiet, hidden from sight, before they are ready to fly.