Throw Back Thursday (TBT):
As birds fly overhead they notice things we humans cannot see because we’re stuck on the ground with a narrow perspective.
Most birds ignore our activity but crows pay attention to humans and watch for things of interest. How else could they find out it’s Garbage Day and show up just in time to poke holes on in our garbage bags?
In February 2011 there was an early morning mystery on my street. At dawn, the crows leaving the winter roost flew over my neighborhood and saw it below. Each flock paused, circled above, and cawed loudly. Click here to read what happened that morning. The crows were the first to know.
This fall Pittsburgh’s winter crow roost has settled in the Hill District above Bigelow Boulevard near Cliff Street. Because of its location very few crows fly over my neighborhood at dawn.
If there’s a mystery this winter it will have to wait for us humans to discover it.
(photo by Brian Herman)
Sometimes I get as many as 30 large crows in my yard each morning. There is one I call the Narc as he/she waits for me every day up in the tree. As soon as I fill the feeders, load up the peanuts and change the water, it starts cawing and cawing. As I go in and close the door I look out the window and now there are 10, then 20, now 30 or more large crows covering my lawn, feeders and peanut tray. Everything is gone in under 15 minutes! I even tried waiting to fill my feeders thinking they are creatures of habit and I’d fool them by feeding the birds, (the little guys), later. Doesn’t matter, the Crows are on to me. Yesterday, I went through 5 pounds of peanuts in 45 minutes! I feel bad as they are hungry also but the little guys get nearly nothing. Any suggestions? I’m going broke! 🙂
OH and garbage day here is a disaster! These guys know!!!!
Donna, it sounds like your backyard is Crow Heaven & they won’t leave until there’s no more food for them to eat.
If you’d like to make the crows leave, put food only in feeders for small birds and make sure there’s no food scattered on the ground. Squirrel-proof feeders come to mind. Unfortunately you’ll have to stop offering in-the-shell peanuts because they’re too big for those feeders. And you’ll have change how you feed the birds for a long time — perhaps the rest of the winter — because crows fly by every day to check for food.
If you’ve already done this for months and months and you still have this many crows you’ll need more ingenious ways to thwart them. They are VERY smart.
Hi, I am in Pittsburgh visiting 12/25/14 for the holiday and would love to see the large flocks coming to roost at in the evenings and alight in the mornings. I scouted out the Clift street area and was wondering if you had might have any other suggestions. While I am asking if you have any suggestions for information about finding large roosting sites throught out New England I am all ears! Thanks,,,, Paul
Paul Taylor, the crows have moved but I don’t know where yet. Meanwhile, for large flock movements check for starlings at dusk at the Birmingham Bridge (big bridge near 21st St on South Side).