Major cawcophony has been occurring every evening in front of Hall Health
Center at dusk the last week or so. Scores of crows talking about
something and no visible predator, raptor, cat or 'coon up in a tree,
etc., to set them off. I suspect that Spring is on their minds in a sort
of preliminary phase. Also, they've just moved their pre-roosting
activity site to upper campus in addition to the IMA fields preparatory to
flying off to the Arboretum for night roosting. Hundreds of crows down on
the fields and in adjacent trees just before dusk also. They remind me of
starlings when they gather for the daily pre-roost rehash of the day's
events, squeaking, screeching and checking in with each other, only these
are really loud and active. Cawsing some distress in the building, too,
they're so loud.

Charles Easterberg
University of Washington
easterbg at u.washington.edu