As people, how much of what we interpret as physical body language from each other gets translated into language in our inner monologue for a kind of narrative reasoning, which we then act on? To say that's projecting intent on others because we can't truly know someones intentions without language is ridiculous if you've ever managed to get by somewhere without knowing a language. Extending that way of relating to animals to me is absolutely viable. Especially sophisticated intelligent animals like crows.
It's a skill you can practice and develop to where strange animals will accept your presence and respond to cues. It takes practice to walk into a herd of horses in a field without them stampeding, to get panicking dogs to relax, or even to shoo off a bear. It's like shifting them out of their instinctual reactions and activating or stimulating their capacity to reason. It's also a huge element of human charisma, where if you have ever met someone who can command a room with very minor gestures, or quiet a kid in a tantrum, it's the same ability.
I think there is something universal that people can develop (or have terrible deficits in), and this crow whispering person seems to have really mastered it. What a pleasure to read.