A Quadra Island, British Columbia, couple just had a unique experience — and they’re sharing the rare event with the public in a 23-minute video.
Alex Lavoie and his girlfriend Jodi Young, who work in northern British Columbia, were driven along the Dempster Highway on Dec. 10 when a crow flew in front of their car for more than half an hour.
Pictured is a crow. (Alex Lavoy/Jordy Young)
Lavoie said he was traveling along the isolated road at about 80km/h when the crow first swooped in front of his windscreen.
“When it first came in front of the Jeep, I couldn’t see it and I was very nervous,” he told CTV News Wednesday.
“It went away for a while and the road was very rough, but after a while I got used to it and just kind of let him go with the flow,” Lava said.
The 740-kilometer highway stretches from Dawson City, YT, to Inuvik, NWT, and has been dubbed a “bucket list trip”. It certainly provided the couple with bucket list adventures they never anticipated.
“Honestly, at first I was nervous because it was going to fly too far in front of the vehicle, but after about 30 seconds, I was like, ‘Wow.’ So I handed the phone to my partner, Jody, and said , ‘Hey, can you start recording?'” Lavoie said.
She ends up filming a video that lasts 23 and a half minutes, but Lavoie estimates the entire encounter lasted more than 45 minutes.
“I think it’s definitely trying to catch the wind. Most of the time it’s basically trying to not use its wings and not catch the air,” Lava said.
“I’ve had a lot of experience with wildlife, but absolutely nothing like this,” he said.
Towards the end of the video, Lavoie pulls up and goes out to feed the crows, choosing the only thing he has on hand, which is Temptations cat food.
Michael Lavoie poses with the crows. (Alex Lavoy/Jordy Young)
“I want to see how close it gets,” he said.
“So we fed him cat food and when we took off he really came again. He caught up to the jeep and then went back in front of the jeep,” he said.
The couple’s cat also traveled with them, sitting in a cage but able to see through the front windscreen. Lavoie said the cat made some strange noises as the crows traveled in front of and alongside them, but didn’t seem too frightened.
Encounters with crows are often viewed by some as psychic events, and Lava’s girlfriend agrees. Jodi took it as a sign as it was the last time they drove down the Dempster Highway after working up north.
“No matter how you look at it, I think it was an amazing experience. It’s definitely something I will remember,” he said.
By the end of the 45-minute journey, Lavoie said the crow found something else to entertain itself.
“As I turned the corner, I saw in the mirror that another crow met it and they were playing on the road.”