The most clever and mischievous bird you can find around here is definitely the crow. When you see them hanging out in small groups or by themselves, you know some mischief is afoot. I saw one the other day when I was walking around taking some shots of the changing fall colours. Crows usually hang out together in small and large groups (or murder as its appropriately called). The one I saw seemed to be looking for something in the trees, and he looked nice in the middle of all those colorful leaves. I tried to take a photograph, but it was darting about, as if it knew what I was up to (though I'm sure it didn't).
Right in the middle of the tree
I moved in closer trying to get a good look. Unfortunately, the shot missed the head, but I think it still looks nice. Fall and crows just seem to go hand in hand, probably because it's spooky season around here, and we associate crows with malevolent forces. In contrast, the related species, ravens, play an important role in the myths of Native Americans because of the birds association with mystical intelligence and trickery. In one story, the bird impregnated himself into an old man's daughter, then using all kinds of trickery, he stole the stars, moon, and sun, which he released onto the sky. Moral of the story, don't mess with these clever birds because they can alter your universe!
Images by @litguru