21 January 2013
If you love huge bird events you’re going to love what Sharon Leadbitter saw last Saturday evening.
Sharon went to the Strip District and filmed the crows coming into the roost.
Thousands upon thousands gathered in the trees on the hill from Bigelow Blvd down to the Busway. As night approached they began to do The Wave, just like a crowd in a football stadium.
And they cheered as they rose from their seats. (Turn up your speakers!)
Check out time code 0:59 to 1:15.
Wow!
(video by Sharon Leadbitter)
p.s. Sharon adds, “If anyone wants to join me sometime, the crows start showing up at about 4:55pm and keep coming until around 6:30 or so.”
This is AWESOME! Thanks Sharon for filming and sharing.
I usually see the crows gathering as I drive home from work. Last week, I was headed toward 579 on the Blvd of the Allies and before Mercy Hospital a very large number of crows were making their way to the crow meeting place… they were flying from somewhere over the hills on the Southside, crossing the Mon. Midway across the Veterans Bridge ANOTHER large group of crows were flying from the direction of the West End Bridge, over Allegheny Center toward the Strip!
On a different night, I noticed the crows flying over Bloomfield toward the Strip! I would love to know where all the starting locations are!
One of them is the cemetery and another, (I think), is over by the Shadyside Giant Eagle
Sharon – my daughter worked at the Tuesday Morning store right behind Shadyside Giant Eagle. We could often hear the crows walking around on the roof and cawing noisily up there. The employees just pretty much got used to it!
Crows can travel far during the day in search of food. They’re particularly fond of dumps. They’ll go as far as 30 miles, then they work their way back to the roost in stages with stops at the gathering places you all mentioned.
Following crows is a real challenge. I tried it a couple of times but they don’t fly the street grid. 😉
We seem to have a small (best guess 200 – 300) murder over by Smithfield East End Cemetery at Forbes & Dallas. I see/hear them at 7 a.m. Oddly I’ve never heard them coming home. Evening news might be on too loud 🙂
As I was shoveling snow today I noticed a crow.. then another and then over 830!!! There must be an easier way of counting crows. Given the time of day ~4:45pm; I imagine they were headed to the Strip! (oh I was in West View) the crows were flying south!