OK, crows seem to be pretty smart; problem solving, communicating, and so forth.
But, here on the farm, I’ve been stalked by a few buzzzards, too. They don’t seem like they want to have tea and talk politics. I try to move faster when they are around, perched on a fence post while I’m brush-hogging the back pasture, watching me...always watching.
Stumbled on one trapped in a horse stall a few years ago. He was NOT a happy camper...
They do watch. They probably notice the uptick in available food when humans are around.
A friend of mine comes by my house sometimes, in her car, and I have noticed the squirrels come around on the double when she arrives. I’ve seen them leaving my place and doing a 180 when her car appears. And if she parks and doesn’t leave her car immediately, they sit and stare. Because whenever she visits, she dumps half a bag of nuts by the chipmunk hole. (Making sure some fall in because Chippy doesn’t want to tangle with squirrels.)
They definitely know her. They don’t otherwise stick around my place. Same with deer. I see them on the cameras on their way to elsewhere through my yard. I’m not running a soup kitchen for wildlife.
Animals are smart about food.