I tell ya, I think I'm living smack dab in the middle of a block-wide roost.
I again saw crows flitting by overhead at about 10pm last night. They go by
all evening long, but to have them flap by that late at night was kind of
eerie. No cawing, just a rustle on the wind, flap flap flap, and suddenly
this large black shape is flying about 2 feet over my head. This time I
resisted my "DUCK!" instinct, looked up, and yes, they were crows, not mutants
from outer space. (Ok, so I'm a little jumpy at night - comes from
having 3 older brothers who delighted in scaring me) What are they doing,
flying around at 10 (and 11pm the other night)? Should they be tucked in bed
at that time of night?

Yesterday evening, about 10 crows and 6 jays started a fight. I ran outside,
hearing the most bizarre noises. I thought at first that the neighbor's dog
was going beserk (I expect it any day!), but then realized that the clump of
black-and-blue in my back yard was a huddle of crows-n-jays! They were on the
ground, flapping their wings, pecking, cawing, screeching, and rolling around.
I was flabbergasted. Dumbfounded. In a few seconds, it broke up, and they
all went flapping away down the valley, the jays darting from tree to tree,
the crows flapping steadily. They left a few feathers that eventually
drifted off in the breeze, giving the stray white cat something to chase for
about an hour.

Wow. I think perhaps they were fighting over scraps of food, as I found what
looked to be crumbs of something, amongst the feathers.

Susan