Why the crow?

This past week I spoke on the phone with an old friend of mine that I haven't heard from in a little over a year.  We talked and laughed for a long time, and toward the end of our talk she asked me how my work was going.  I gave her the typical answer of, " Oh, it's going really well," and not much more was said, but I did tell her to take a look at my website.  She later e-mailed me and said how much she enjoyed looking at my pictures, and the typical kind, supportive words that people say to good friends.  Then, she asked me "What got you into the crows?"  This question is one that I have heard many times from various people about crows and other imagery I have used.  Crows arise in my work quite often, and I don't believe that there really is just one particular answer for me to give.  There are certain symbols that I feel connect to different people.  Crows are one of those symbols for me.  My belief is that each person views the world of symbolism differently, and for one reason or another, we make associations and connections with imagery that we can't always explain fully to others.  Crows have the gift of flight, they are believed to be one of the most intelligent species of birds, and they are as black as the darkest sky.  When you see them, they are rarely alone, and they seem very protective of their crow "families." Even their calls to each other can often have an ominous tone to them.  So, when I am searching for imagery to represent a persons spirit, or a persons thoughts, or a pattern or flow of questions mixed with the carrying of knowledge from one space and time to another, or the death of the body, and lifting of the spirit, crows often fly in and out of my thoughts.