Vanda Kietienė’s apartment in Panevėžys is home to an unusual pet, a crow named Kvarksė. The bird flew into the woman’s home, she fed it once. Since then, they have developed a friendship – the crow has made friends with other animals and is not afraid of people.
Every morning, at the same time, Kvarksė – the name derives from the “ko-aw” sounds that crows make – flies to Vanda’s house for breakfast. After breakfast, the bird finds a way to show gratitude.
“Now you’ll start picking my hair like your feathers,” Vanda says. “Well, fix my hair, I’m a mess. That’s what she always does to me. Just don’t pick my brain.”
Vanda says that her crow also loves to be petted. When invited, it flies in and sits next to her, asking for affection.
The friendship between Vanda and Kvarksė started almost half a year ago. One day, her grandson saw a crow by a gate and suggested that his grandmother feed it.
“Baba, he says, there’s a crow and it wants to eat. Well, I took some bread, soaked it in water, we went and fed it. I said, why do I need a crow? And the grandson assured me again that the crow had come on its own accord. And then we became friends. For a whole month, it wouldn’t pick up the food itself, I fed it in the beak all the time,” says Vanda.
“And it didn’t know how to drink, it didn’t know anything.”
Kvarksė got used to her new human acquaintance very quickly. It also developed a beautiful friendship with Vanda’s dog.
“They are very friendly indeed. Sometimes the dog is sleeping peacefully in the sun, and the bird comes and picks it. The dog woofs and goes back to sleep. Still, [the crow] doesn’t stop, it pinches, in a friendly way, not maliciously,” smiles Vanda.
She is not surprised that the crow has taken up residence here. She loves animals very much, so she guesses that this is why Kvarksė chose her home.
“There are dogs and cats here all the time, the children had two chinchillas, a turtle and a snake – we are surrounded with animals,” she laughs. “Maybe animals can feel who loves them? Probably.”
Kvarksė also gets along well with children and tries to be near them all the time. But the bird’s favourite activity is untying shoelaces.
Vanda says that even when Kvarksė flies out of the yard, it always comes back. And after longer break-ups, it always stays longer.
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