Costco Parking Lot Thefts

REWahoo

REWahoo

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Something to think about on your next Costco visit:

Costco shoppers say ravens steal their groceries

Matt Lewallen said he was packing his groceries into his car in the parking lot of an Anchorage Costco when ravens swooped in to steal a short rib from his cart, the Anchorage Daily News reported Friday.

“I literally took 10 steps away and turned around, two ravens came down and instantly grabbed one out of the package, ripped it off and flew off with it,” Lewallen said.
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“My parents were minding their business after a shop and made it home with one less steak!” Kimberly Waller wrote on Facebook. “The bird snatched it right out of the pack in the parking lot.”
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Doesn't surprise me a bit. Ravens (and crows) are extremely smart birds who have long been known to make and use tools. I would put nothing past them.
 
braumeister said:
Doesn't surprise me a bit. Ravens (and crows) are extremely smart birds who have long been known to make and use tools. I would put nothing past them.
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Love Crows/Ravens.....Australian Magpies, another Passerine bird, are smart too. (I might have mentioned this eons ago), out in the bush with a .22 (and I tried this numerous times), I'd see Magpies in the trees...put down the rifle, pick up a long stick, aim it...birds couldn't care less.

Put down the stick, pick up the .22, and there wouldn't be a Magpie in sight. :LOL:
 
Our golf cart was hit often by the local Great-tailed grackle's at our local course. They knew to attack when you walked up to the green and would be occupied for a few minutes. Any Chips, peanuts, or other snacks were quickly snatched. The first time, before I realized what was happening, I found a baggie with a half P&J sandwich laying about 5 feet from the cart in a spot I had not walked. "Hey, how did my sandwich get there?"
 
There was a raven on town lake, Austin who would steal shiny metal things like people’s keys.
 
Our local McDonalds a couple weeks ago, there was five or six of them attacking the bread. I don't think they'll discount for previously eaten.

These guys are amazingly smart, one lives by us; his name is Bernie and he was born in a tree next door. He comes around frequently and I give him 5 walnut halves. He likes walnuts better than other tree nuts. He brings me a peanut shell from the neighbor who owns the tree where he was born. 20210315_120208.jpeg

If you are on Reddit check out r/birdsarentreal it explains everything.
 
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When my late wife & I lived on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, we found a fledgling crow in the garden....fearful of cats, ours and other people's, we put it on one of our upper, glass fronted, decks.

Shades of Alfred Hitchcock......crows coming from every direction, (our home overlooked the channel), and they were flying from adjacent islands. And were they ever pissed!

Put the young 'un on the grass...gone in the morning, no idea what happened to it, but the Crow Air Force was gone too.
 
Just part of their LBYM plan.
 
(With sincere apologies to Edgar Allan Poe :cool:)

Once upon a COFSDASH™ dreary, while I wandered, weak and weary,
Pushing all my purchased bounty out the storefront door,
Looking up I see a circling, very big black bird a lurking,
Looking at me, maybe smirking, then away would soar.
“Tis a raven”, I slowly muttered, “looking for a score.”
Only that and nothing more.

Soon I reached where I did park, maneuvering the heavy cart,
Managing to make it stop, and opened up the door.
Faster than my eyes could blink, two black streaks flashed by in a wink,
So quickly indeed my heart did sink, I knew I was in for a chore:
I had had not one, but two black ravens, on my auto trunk floor.
Not looking at all bored.

Staring at them with some dread, I then remembered - I had bought bread!
And tossed a slice onto the ground. “Get Out!” I gently swore.
“I know your game”, I told the birds, “and though I think you are absurd,
Your are very smart, as I have heard, even from the days of yore.
Please, feast and be done, and leave me alone, back to the sky please soar,
And bother me nevermore!”

Then I heard an eerie cackling, or perhaps the birds were laughing,
As they hopped out, quickly tackling the bread with a hungry caw.
Then one turned to look at me, and before I could say one, two three,
Down from the sky , cawing with glee. came ravens three and four.
The birds lined up, in fighting formation, as if ready for war.
Quoth the ravens: “GIVE US MORE!”
 
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Many grocery stores struggle in keeping birds out. The stinkers will fly through the automatic doors.

Home Depot, Lowes, Menards, etc.? Almost all have bird populations inside because the bird feed is typically in soft containers.
 
Birds in general: Just watching Mourning Doves, Starlings and a Squirrel side by each foraging for food. Not one of the birds went "OMG, is that a CAT?", in fact one of the Starlings just nudged the Squirrel out of its way.
 
Nemo2 said:
Birds in general: Just watching Mourning Doves, Starlings and a Squirrel side by each foraging for food. Not one of the birds went "OMG, is that a CAT?", in fact one of the Starlings just nudged the Squirrel out of its way.
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They also know when a cat is safely behind a screen. They taunt the daylights out of our cat who sits at our front door much of the day. In winter, it is a glass storm door. In summer, a screen. The birds just frolic inches away.
 
I find this interesting about ravens/crows. Not all that many years ago, when bow hunting at my place. Every evening, same time, there would be about 15 to 20 crows that would make their appearance. They would fly over, cawing the entire time, over a spot I had a blind setup in heavy cover. They would know I was there, even thou they could not see me. They would seem to feed in a field, then depart as fast as they would showed up. It was a strange thing to me because it seemed like I never would see many of them, till that one or two years. I have not experienced them their again, in the past few years.
 
jollystomper said:
(with sincere apologies to edgar allan poe :cool:)

once upon a cofsdash™ dreary, while i wandered, weak and weary,
pushing all my purchased bounty out the storefront door,
looking up i see a circling, very big black bird a lurking,
looking at me, maybe smirking, then away would soar.
“tis a raven”, i slowly muttered, “looking for a score.”
only that and nothing more.

Soon i reached where i did park, maneuvering the heavy cart,
managing to make it stop, and opened up the door.
Faster than my eyes could blink, two black streaks flashed by in a wink,
so quickly indeed my heart did sink, i knew i was in for a chore:
I had had not one, but two black ravens, on my auto trunk floor.
Not looking at all bored.

Staring at them with some dread, i then remembered - i had bought bread!
And tossed a slice onto the ground. “get out!” i gently swore.
“i know your game”, i told the birds, “and though i think you are absurd,
your are very smart, as i have heard, even from the days of yore.
Please, feast and be done, and leave me alone, back to the sky please soar,
and bother me nevermore!”

then i heard an eerie cackling, or perhaps the birds were laughing,
as they hopped out, quickly tackling the bread with a hungry caw.
Then one turned to look at me, and before i could say one, two three,
down from the sky , cawing with glee. Came ravens three and four.
The birds lined up, in fighting formation, as if ready for war.
Quoth the ravens: “give us more!”
Click to expand...

totally awesome! Thanks for a chuckle
 
js love your poem.

Here is my favorite, songwriter/poet Joni Mitchell

 
cbo111 said:
Our golf cart was hit often by the local Great-tailed grackle's at our local course. They knew to attack when you walked up to the green and would be occupied for a few minutes. Any Chips, peanuts, or other snacks were quickly snatched. The first time, before I realized what was happening, I found a baggie with a half P&J sandwich laying about 5 feet from the cart in a spot I had not walked. "Hey, how did my sandwich get there?"
Click to expand...

A course around here has a sign by the 10th tee box (near the food shack) warning about crows and your food. I saw a crow swoop down and take the hot dog right out of the bun that someone left unattended while hitting their tee shot.

Last summer my friend and I almost fell over laughing at his wife chasing a crow and swearing after it took her bag of Doritos. She thought it was safe in the front cubby :LOL:
 
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