...and yes, they really are Frequently Asked. Despite the fact that most of these are answered somewhere in the Aviary site, many people mail me anyways to ask them. Please, I don't have time to answer 20 emails a day about the correct name for a flock of crows. If the question you're asking is on this page, and you email me with it anyways, I will simply delete your mail.

• WHAT is the correct name for a flock of Crows/Ravens/etc?
  Look it up in the Corvid Names section. That's what its there for.
  
  
• WHERE can I get a crow/raven?
  There's a whole page devoted to that, too. Coincidentally enough, it's called: Where can I get a crow or raven?
  
  
• HOW can I help this bird which I found?
  I'm not an animal health specialist. I have no veterinary degree. Any advice which comes from me is subject to question. However, in conjunction with some animal health experts, I've put up a lengthy FAQ on just that topic.
  
  
• WILL you help me identify this bird?
  
  No. Unless it's a crow or a Raven, I don't know what it is. Mailing me with a description like: "its black, and it makes a chirpy sound" is absolutely pointless. Look it up in a birdwatcher's guide. And if you're looking at a corvid but can't figure you whether it's a crow or a raven, you can find help here.
  
  
• WHAT does it mean when a crow sits above your door/you dream of ravens/a friend dies and a black bird flies overhead/etc.?
  
  Beats me. If you want to know what folklore says it means, visit the page on Corvidae Spirituality. I do not interperet dreams. I am not your psychic advisor. I will not guide you down the path to enlightenment. If you want enlightenment, try praying - not emailing.
  
  
• WOULD you like to hear about this cool thing which happened when I was watching crows the other day?
  Sure. I do enjoy reading those sorts of anecdotes... but I don't have the time to compose lenthy replies to everyone who write with such stories. I'll try to send a thankyou, but unless it's something earth-shattering, I'm not making any promises. (And if it's something earth-shattering, why are you mailing me with it anyways? Shouldn't you be calling the Guinness Book or something?)
  
  
• THIS link is broken. What is the correct address?
  Did I mention before that I'm not psychic? (Er.. no. I said I'm not your psychic advisor. Well, that's close.) At any rate, links break with surprising regularity. I do try to fix the dead ones now and then, but I can't catch them all, nor do all of them leave a forwarding address. If you DO know the correct address and want to mail me with it, I'd appreciate it a lot.
  
  
• MAY I use this image from your site?
  It depends on the image. Just about everything in the Image Gallery has information accompanying it regarding who holds the copyright. Please contact the copyright holder, not the webmaster. If, however, the copyright holder happens to be me, you're almost certainly welcome to use it. But PLEASE copy it to your own directory -- don't just make a hyperlink to my file. It's rude to engage in bandwidth theft, it results in higher bills for me, and nasty surprises for you if/when I discover it.
  
  
• WHAT is bandwidth theft?
  Bandwidth is a measure of how much traffic a web page gets. Every time you load a web page, it uses bandwitdth. Anytime you load an image or audio file or mpeg, it uses bandwidth. If you want to use someone else's image on your page but don't want to (or don't know how to) store it on your own site, you might think it's alright to make a direct link to the graphic on someone else's server. This is NOT okay! If you direct-link a graphic, then every time someone loads your page, it uses up bandwidth belonging to the person who owns the graphic. Most people who put up web pages (including me) pay a certain amount per month to do so and pay extra if the bandwidth exceeds a certain maximum. Every time someone direct-links to a graphic, it causes my bills to go up. Yeah, that's right: I pay real money when people borrow my graphics. And I don't like it.
  If you want to know more about Bandwidth Theft, visit this site.
  
  
• WOULD you like to have this photo I took/picture I drew?
  Sure! Contributions are always welcome! I won't put up absolutely everything people send me, though, so please don't be insulted if your photo is too blurry or grainy, and I don't use it. I still enjoy getting images, and often keep them for my personal enjoyment (and sometimes use them as the basis of other pictures or icons. If that's the case, I'll give you credit). Oh, and I don't have time to update the image gallery every other day, so even if I want to use your picture, it may be a while before it's posted. Please be patient. Thanks.
  
  
• DO you want to be email pals?
  While I'd love to, I simply can't keep in touch with every one of the hundred-plus people who write me every month. I maintain this web page in my spare time, and that time is getting more and more scarce. Feel free to write anyways, if you want, and I'll try to reply... but if I don't, it's not that I don't want to be friends, its just that I need time to eat & sleep now and then.
  
  

Back to Main

Back to my email page

Drop me a line!