All that is common is cheap
The relative weight of tears wept for a dead crow versus a dead eagle.
I am not sure where I discerned that rare = valuable, but it is built in to my assumptions. But that does not seem to hold true anymore. I consider the crows and the ravens crowding around. And I consider the solitary, significant bald eagle.
The eagle excites me. I recall one circling high over Portland. Distant, encroaching. On its own whim it ceased circling and soared North to some place unreachable to me.
I see them regularly in rural and wild places now. They are awesome in flight. Distinct and powerful, Measured in the use of their strength. It is something to remark on.
And yet the crow, intelligent, social, unpredictable. In a simple black cloak. Common enough to ignore.
If you watch baldies enough, they never stop being beautiful, but they often act less than noble. They are inefficient fishers whose wings will get soaked if they don't rise out of the water fast enough. Sometimes they have to struggle to shore and dry out. As a fish out of water, so an eagle in the lake.
As poor fishers, they practice thievery to make their way. Osprey who catch fish have to be ready to fend off an eagle poised to capitalize on the osprey's efforts.1
This is not criticism of the eagle. It does what it can with the body it has, like all of us. They have fascinating relationships, including lifelong trios.2
Because of human action, they were rare during my lifetime. Because of human efforts, they are now all around us, and I am glad.
Crows and ravens have not been rare in my lifetime. In cities like Portland, they collect by the thousands. They exhibit mystifying behavior. When there are thousands of them filling the bare branches of every tree in downtown, flying in with purpose, calling out with intent, you notice them.
But imagine taking an hour stroll in any city or town. When you return, if someone asks "did you see any crows?" you might not be able to answer. They are common enough to be unremarkable.
Yet they are a wonder. Intelligent, capable, strong, acrobatic. I once sat on the rim of Mt. St. Helens and watched a raven perform acrobatics over the caldera. We were basking in high altitude sunlight for a time before turning back to go where we came from. The bird, alone above blasted terrain, gave a show. She flew inverted, performed stalls and loops and spins. When a wild animal expends energy, there is usually a very clear reason. The reason we could come up with was play. Play opens up a whole different perspective on the mind soaring by us on that mountain. It was, to those of us doing some serious type II fun, a pretty joyful looking play.
The reasons we could come up with were that she liked to show off for humans or she just found the joy of Jonathon Livingston Seagull (another outrageous commoner) there on that apocalyptic slope.
Scarcity does not indicate actual value. So now that I know that, what can I value in the world with wonder?
dandelions
houseflies
pigeons
earthworms
friendly greetings from strangers
social order and peace.
The materials of our life and our environment become stunning.
water
wood
soil
metal
flesh
community.
Alongside being trained that scarcity equals value, I was trained for value to be expressed in money. I am fascinated by life insurance and mortality payouts. We assign a value to a person based on how much they can earn. It seems a brutal business to trim a life down to what it could do that is worth money. What could be a better solution?
Would the algorithm of value pay as much for a crow as an eagle? Unlikely, and that does not make sense to me anymore. Any why should fossil oil costs more than water? Diamonds more than dirt? The price is out of kilter with their value.
Birds are at risk now, and it is apparently the common ones whose populations are dropping most dramatically. People wonder that 100 years ago the carrier pigeon went from crowds darkening the sky to extinct,3 But now the crow faces that.4
People think humans were once dumb and we are smarter now. I seem to be in disagreement. We are neither more nor less. We are just as capable of power, collective action, and collective amnesia.
We still struggle to value common things.
We would love to here from you. What does this bring up for you? Join the chat. So many people would be delighted to hear what you think.
For a great review of the bald eagle’s journey through American consciousness, I enjoyed https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/03/bald-eagle-america-history-jack-e-davis/621311/ and will hopefully pick up the reviewed book The Bald Eagle: The Improbable Journey of America's Bird by Jack E. Davis.
“Nearly 3 Billion Birds Gone Since 1970” https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/bring-birds-back/