I thought this carrion crow looked suitably spooky for a Halloween-themed post…or helpful, depending on whether you think it is sitting on the sign to warn people or watch them sink to their doom!
I photographed this carrion crow in Brockwell Park, south London, back in February 2013. As you can see, it was a pretty dull day and this isn’t the most beautiful or creative image. I like it, however, because it captures one of those fleeting moments when the stars align and the crow is facing the right direction while sitting on a striking sign and showing its nictitating membrane. Apart from the light, it all works for me! I did a bit of cross processing in Lightroom to add to the slightly creepy look. It reminds me of the ‘Lonely Water’ public information film from the 1970s. Anyway, happy Halloween!
The nictitating membrane is the “third eyelid”, which extends from the inner to the outer corner of the eye. Because it is thinner and more transparent the nictitating membrane protects the eye whilst also allowing for some visibility. This protection is important as the eyes of birds are particularly vulnerable during many activities such as foraging, excavating, diving, feeding young and gathering nesting materials. It is not only birds that have the nictitating membrane – some fish, reptiles and amphibians have full nictitating membranes and some mammals, such as cats, camels, polar bears, seals and aardvarks also have them. In many mammals – and humans – a small, functionless portion of the membrane remains in the corner of the eye.