
Corvid fashion wars are being fought in our backyard right now.
Luckily the current battle is more about voguing than violence and we've seen nothing like the infamous Brighton riot fought by their human counterparts in 1964.
Marvin and Mavis clearly represent the Rockers in this fashion showdown, channeling their inner Marlon Brando at every opportunity.
While it was the human Rockers who flaunted the pompadour hairstyles, in this corvid context it's our Mods — the fabulously flamboyant Steller's jays — who sport the gravity defying up-do's.
As I mentioned, the corvid contest has been peaceable and restricted to friendly fashion competition so far.
Two possible reasons for this. First, Marvin and Mavis seem far more concerned about keeping fellow crows, Mabel and her growing family, away from this end of the block. Second, both parties seem to be on board with the established backyard hierarchy. The Steller's Jays will squawk and strut around the garden like fashion royalty.
But if Marvin and Mavis decide they're coming in for peanuts, there's no debate. The small gang of Steller's Jays will immediately clear the premises, off to squawk at some other neighbours.
I mean, if you have feathers this gorgeous, would you want to mess them up in a brawl?
We'll see how things progress, corvid rivalry-wise, as the season progresses.
Of course, an all-important element of Vancouver fashion is how well your look stands up to the elements. It's no use heading out looking all put-together and perfect if everything falls apart at the first hint of weather.
When it comes to those blustery days, the Crows probably have a slight advantage over the Jays, not having those extra head feathers to worry about.
But in Vancouver, the most crucial consideration of all is how good you look in the rain. Here we see Marvin going up against one of the Jays in that very competitive category.
Well ... who do you think wears it best?
To see this blog in it's orginal format with more photos click here.