17 October 2024
The crows are back in town!
On 1 October I counted 1,800 crows staging in Shadyside before they flew west to a roost. Last night I counted twice as many heading toward the Cathedral of Learning. 3,600 is only a fraction of the flock that will be in Pittsburgh by the end of December. As their numbers grow they quickly wear out their welcome. That’s when they move the roost.
In transit a flock this large is kind of mesmerizing (video from Dec 2023).
But if they sleep in your trees they are really messy.
On Monday I saw Pitt’s maintenance staff spray-washing the sidewalk on Bigelow Blvd and I found “poot” evidence across the street as well. I’m sure Pitt is on the verge of moving them along, if they haven’t already done so.
Last year Pitt used flashing lights to convince the crows to leave the Bigelow Blvd trees. Crows really hate strobe lights.
I suspect there were strobe lights last night because … When the crows sleep near the Cathedral of Learning I live in their flyway. Last night thousands flew past my window but this morning none of them made the return journey. So did the crows sleep at Pitt? I wonder.
This tug of war with winter crows happens every year. They might end up roosting where the whole flock can sleep without bothering anyone, or they might split the roost to reduce their impact. One thing I know for sure. The crows will be hard to find for the Christmas Bird Count. 😉
UPDATE 17 Oct, 1:30pm: The crows *did* sleep in the trees at Pitt. I saw the evidence this morning.