Five years ago, Anne Edwards met a new neighbor who moved across the street from her place in Scotland. It was a crow and he was not that strange for long. They became good friends. Edwards named her Mildred.
One day, Edward was resting in her home when she heard a commotion just outside the house. Hurrying to the spot, she found that Mildred and one of her little chicks perched on her fence. Near the fence, there was a cat who was crouched and poised to pounce.
Edwards decided to help them. She saved the baby crow and returned it to Mildred’s nest in the tree across the road. That act of kindness wasn’t lost on Mildred.
Then she began to bring all her chicks to Edward’s garden. It became an annual tradition. Every year, when she got a new brood of chicks she brought them to her garden.
On another occasion, Edward’s again returned one of Mildred’s kids to her nest after finding him on the ground. That kind gesture again melted Mildred’s heart at ease.
Recently, however, the wild crow had a chance to return the favor.
One day, last year Edwards’ son fell ill and needed to be rushed by ambulance from home to the hospital. Meanwhile, Mildred was looking on from her vantage point in the tree across the street. She was sensing the distress in heart of the person who treated her and her kids when they were in danger in the past. The crow decided to help her to get comfortable.
When Edwards came home from the hospital that night, she heard Mildred cawing loudly outside her bedroom window. She went outside and then saw Mildred sitting on a bare tree. She was alone and exposed. It was a very rare behavior she had never experienced before.
Mildred’s home tree was densely covered with foliage and offered her protection. But she had chosen instead to stay near Edwards, at the expense of her own comfort. She stayed there all night, and even the following night when Edwards’ son was still in the hospital, Mildred stayed again. The crow’s gentle presence did indeed comfort Edwards in her time of need. They are both mothers and knew how they feel when their sons are in danger. It was the same as Edwards caring for the chicks; she was looking out for Edwards’ family when her son is in the hospital.
Thankfully on the 3rd day, Edwards’ son was improved in health and released from the hospital to recover at home. His mom was relieved more than he did. And apparently, Mildred noticed that too.
As soon as her son was home, Mildred returned to her normal roosting place. She knew that Edwards was happy!
