I hope they nest; Notes from Kyiv

Today was another rough night in Kyiv (Ukraine), but the crow is still there… Well, there are two of them now.

Today was another rough night in Kyiv (Ukraine), but the crow is still there… Well, there are two of them now.

My mom didn’t have much sleep last night. It was one of those nights with continuous sirens and sounds of explosions everywhere. But, yet again, the sun came out. Things quiet down—time to rest. She checked in with me. She is alive. She is sleeping now. And I’m here, an ocean apart but under the same sky, pouring my thoughts out.

Before my mom went to bed, she sent me a picture of the crow. She does it every morning. The same crow comes and sits on a tree in the front of her window… well, now there are two of them. Mom thinks they’re a couple…

She told me that there are moments of profound silence in the city in between attacks. You don’t hear a dog barking nor a stray spring cat yowling on the street. Silence. Thick silence fills the city.

The birds are barely seen in her area, just crows. She said she has grown to love them—me too. I love these watchful creatures with mighty foresight. They symbolize spiritual evolution and transformation in many cultures. You might know that Native Americans consider crows a sign of good fortune. They say when you have a crow as the spirit animal, you have the unusual ability to see far beyond what is apparent.

I think you can gain valuable insights by keeping an eye on these intelligent creatures. I hope they nest. I hope they nest. I hope they nest.

Crows are very protective of their territories and their nests. Somehow they manage to ward off trespassers that are much bigger than them, keeping smaller birds safe.