2 November 2021

It’s that time of year again when thousands of crows come to Pittsburgh to spend the winter. In late October and early November they stage in pre-roost areas in Shadyside and Oakland before flying to the roost after dark.

Lately the crows have been changing their staging location every evening from Shadyside near Devonshire, to the highrise roofs near Neville and Fifth, to Baum at the busway, and on and on.

The staging area is easy to find because, beginning around 3pm, the crows make a beeline for it and they are loud. This KDKA video from 2018 shows what its like to be on the receiving end.

Counting crows and finding their roost is much more difficult. To count them I need a wide view of crows flying against the backdrop of a glowing sky, or I need to know where the roost is and count the evidence on the ground (count trees with excrement beneath).

Since the crows fly silently in the dark from the staging area to the roost, I can’t find the roost by sight or sound so I rely on reports from those of you who have crows rustling, murmuring and pooping on the sidewalks overnight. If crows are spending the night in your neighborhood, let me know!

For me, crows are the only reason to end Daylight Saving Time. Counting them and finding their roost will be easier after we change the clocks on Sunday November 7 and sunset is at 5pm.

(photo by Kate St. John, video from CBS Pittsburgh in 2018)

19 October 2021

Pittsburgh’s winter crow flock is back in town with thousands gathering at dusk in Oakland. A week ago I counted 3,000 but more have arrived since then.

As their numbers grow to 10,000 or 20,000, the crows change their staging locations and move or split the roost. They’re looking for the perfect spot with mature trees, ambient light, and white noise where they’ll be safe from predators and not annoyed by humans.

Unfortunately the “perfect” spot is usually above sidewalks where hundreds (or thousands!) of crows create a stinky, slippery mess and lots of noise. The crows keep doing it night after night unless the site becomes unappealing to them. The best way to change the appeal is to annoy the crows with blinking lights or noise — for instance, the sound of wooden clappers.

I suspect “crow annoying” has already begun at Pitt and Schenley Farms because every evening the flock pattern is different. I’ve seen them head for Oakland, then return and circle over North Craig Street as they think about where to roost. When it’s very dark many of them go back to Pitt.

Last night they roosted near the Barco Law Building and made a ruckus outside Kim Getz’s window when they woke up to leave this morning. Notice that they’re on the tips of branches in her photo.

Pittsburgh’s winter crows are still picking roosts that annoy humans but that will change. Eventually they’ll figure out how to coexist with city humans.

“We’d love to stay overnight,” say the crows, “but we can be flexible.”

(crow photos by Kate St. John, clapper photo courtesy of Alex Toner at Univ of Pittsburgh)

15 February 2021

I love crows but I don’t see very many now that the winter flock moved away from my neighborhood. Last Saturday afternoon I was thrilled to see 70 flying low in the fog on their way to the North Shore where they’ve roosted since late January.

I miss the big flocks but I’ve found ways to see crows online. Here’s a three-session online course and some folks to follow on Twitter for the love of crows.

Anything but Common: The Hidden Life of the American Crow

Cornell Lab’s Bird Academy is offering …

This self-paced, online course is all about the remarkable lives of American Crows. Taught by world-renowned crow biologist Dr. Kevin McGowan, who has worked with a banded population for decades, you’ll get an inside look into what makes them so compelling—from their complex social lives to their impressive problem-solving skills.

— Click here to learn more about The Hidden Life of the American Crow.

On Twitter …

The Ravenmaster at the Tower of London @ravenmaster1 tweets about the Tower of London ravens.

Even a raven contains within its blackness a whole spectrum, a whole rainbow, a chord of black. pic.twitter.com/jPAT6trViC

— Ravenmaster (@ravenmaster1) January 30, 2021

Corvid researcher Kaeli Swift, PhD @corvidresearch studies crows (and monarchs) and posts a weekly #CrowOrNo quiz. (Is it a crow? Or no?)

This week’s photo was submitted by Nedret Gürler on Facebook. Nedret wasn’t sure what he is looking at here and wants an answer to that most pressing of questions, #CrowOrNo???

Answer at 5:30 PST. Good luck! pic.twitter.com/g82hnIv2CJ

— Kaeli Swift, Ph.D. (@corvidresearch) February 3, 2021

Crow Monthly @CrowMonthly posts photos and comments by and for crows. 😉

“Roses are red
My violets won’t risk it…”

“..enough with the poems
Just give me a biscuit.” pic.twitter.com/EB1CTgBVb2

— Crow Monthly (@CrowMonthly) February 14, 2021

(photo at top by Mick Thompson and screenshot from Bird Academy; click on the captions/images to see the original)

31 January 2021

We have a mystery here in Pittsburgh.

Since last fall a winter flock of 10,000 to 20,000 crows has staged and roosted in or near Oakland. On 16 January I counted 4,000 flying over Schenley Park golf course on their way to the roost. Nine days later, on 25 January, I saw only two crows.

Only 2! The crows are not staging in Oakland and they no longer fly over Schenley Park. I know they’re here somewhere because it’s too early for them to leave town. Where they heck are they?

I tried to find out without driving all over town. On Friday evening I watched from the roof deck at sunset. The only crows in the sky were very far away, flying down the Monongahela River toward town, probably visible from Hazelwood and Greenfield.

Where were those crows going? Where are the rest of them? Where are they sleeping?

If you know the answer please leave a message. Believe it or not I miss them.

(photo by It’s No Game on Flickr via Creative Commons license; click on the caption to see the original)