Hi Tweets,

Rick Romea writes:

>I was in a class recently when someone asked Dennis Paulson what he thought
>was his greatest unanswered 'bird question' (snip)...As a close second, he
>said: "I wish I knew what crows are thinking." I think the implication
>was that crows often do very complex things, perhaps for social interaction
>alone.

After watching a few crows on the ground, I can suggest that those wascawwy
cwows' main thoughts are 'what's in it for me, how quick can I grab it, and
where's the exit?' '-)

and John Shelton writes:

This has been one of the primary topics of discussion in the Corvi
Chronicles for years now. The consensus seems to be that it's strictly
social.

Anyway, relieved it wasn't a dumb question, whatever the outcome. Hadn't
realised it was a topic of discussion elsewhere.

As far as their social interactions go, going the daily distances they do
for schmoozing and hanging out is a little like someone in Washington State
walking to Vancouver BC for a beer. Once in a while might be interesting,
but on a daily basis, I'd head for a bar in my local neighborhood first. '-)

Seriously, I'd wonder about that. There's easier ways for them to accomplish
this if it's their aim. Besides, they leave themselves little time for
socialising if they wait until after sunset to begin the flight to the
pre-roost staging area, which would leave them less time to socialise at
that staging area in deeper dusk, which would leave them no time to
socialise at the roost site because it would be dark or close to it by the
time they got there and get settled in. Socialising crows are a rowdy bunch,
yet at the roost site they'd need to be quiet to avoid attracting a Great
Horned Owl or two. And just how do they avoid being creamed by every Goshawk
and Peregrine by day and every Great Horned Owl at night in the Fraser
Valley once word gets out there's a huge assemblage of crows in one spot? If
owls and large raptors are a threat, why does a smart omnivore concentrate
its numbers and then socialise in a place and in a way that would attract
the one nocturnal predator they'd be wanting desperately to avoid? Darn it,
that just doesn't *feel* right.

Same thing in reverse the next morning. They arrive in deep dusk, they leave
in deep dusk (I know this because when I was commuting to work on the
SkyTrain I'd see them on late winter mornings flying overhead to their
forage areas in almost full dark at 6:45 AM; same thing late in winter
evenings). So exactly when would they find or create quality time to
socialise? The only place left for them do this is in flight to and from. If
socialising were the objective of these mass roosts, they're so inefficient
about it, that I'm forced to repeat the question: if that's the aim, why
bother? That explanantion just doesn't seem to work, to me.

However, I did watch a number of evening flocks in the trees along the
hillcrest S of Jericho Park where they would hopscotch in treetops E along
the hill. When a new small flock flew in to join it there'd be a sustained
loud outbreak of caws from each. Once the flock reached a certain size,
about 500 birds, it would take off en masse to the E, but sometimes some of
it, occasionally all of it, would fly N out over Burrard Inlet to somewhere
on the mountainside in West Vancouver across the water. Definitely got the
sense they were socialising, greeting and conversing. Maybe this is how they
spread the word about food resources (crows can't dance) and potential dangers.

As well, half of the year, they're not communal or particularly social but
familial (with some help from the kids--that's so cool) so what are they
socialising *for* that they can dispense with it for half the year without
their feathers falling out? I'd wonder how crows from different age groups,
different families, different parts of the city or countryside, different
sexes, might move around within the roost site, if socialising is the
reason. Any behavior this distinct has a point, or points. I could also
easily imagine that their high intelligence would mean there'd be distinctly
different personality types among crow individuals, some of whom would
decide not to join the mass roosting movements. But whatever the objective
of mass roost flights, though, it seems important for all crows in
non-breeding time to participate, because they all seem to do it though it
means a long flight twice daily.

Hm. More to come on this, I think.

Michael Price We aren't flying...we're falling with style!
Vancouver BC Canada -Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story
mprice at mindlink.net