Subject: [Tweeters] Crows!
Date: Dec 20 19:37:51 2012
From: Tim Brennan - tsbrennan at hotmail.com



Hey all!

So, the rivers of crows.. where do they end up.... I've got a few observations:

South of Grady Way and east of 167, there are huuuge parking lots for the FAA. Those lots, trees, and buildings totally fill up with crows near sunset.

Last year on the Christmas Bird Count, I was owling the Springbrook Creek trail south of 27th, between Oakesdale and 167, and we woke up a lot of crows right in the trees in the wetland.

Last week, coming north on WV Highway, almost to 43rd Avenue (near Costco) the crows were awfully thick on the buildings - thousands!

So... I'd think of that Springbook Creek area to Costco, to Ikea as the center of their roosting area. I'm not sure exactly how compact they keep it, but I know exactly which way the river flows in the morning, and which way it flows in the evening. Amazing to see it.

This whole area is actually in my CBC count area, and I'm curious what is the normal procedure when you've got a roost in your area - do you take the time to count them all in the evening (and perhaps disregard all crow counts from any other area in the circle??) or just ignore the roost and count the crows seen during the day?

Either way... I love trying to wrap my mind around it all. I know the same crows go back to the same areas each day. We've had a few oddballs over the years that hang out in the neighborhood. One with a speech impediment... a mismatched pair (big and scruffy, small and sleek)... and to think that they make the commute every day! Which ones get the short straw and fly the farthest each day, while others hop over to Southcenter for the day and feast?

Happy Birding!

Tim Brennan
Renton