I'v seen some Crows roosting near our home but they tend not to stay and go some place to spend time.  I think one deterrent may be that we have an Owl that I hear at night so that may be one reason the Crows don't stay.  We do have a stream out back and that may be one thing to attract them to our area.  I get excited when I seen a large group of Crows coming into our area.  Now I'll be even more excited since I want to study them more closely.

We live on a golf course in Boynton Beach FL and the last several days have brought thousands of crows into the area. We have observed a lot of pre-roosting and communicating. Along with the crows have been dozens of what we think are Chimney Swifts, careening in flights amongst the crows. They appear to enjoy each other’s company, roosting together and flying together. This behavior might have something to do with the recent arrival and nesting of a pair of bald eagles. They built a nest several weeks ago and are active despite several resident osprey who appear to be aggrieved about it. We have witnessed one of the eagles harassing an osprey and claiming its catch. two questions: Is it normal for the crows to hang with the Chimney Swifts (petty sure that is what they are)? Does the presence of the Eagles make a difference? There is water and food here- presumably the crows could go elsewhere, but they haven’t.

1. There is often a large roost just on the edge of town starting in early winter. It is a small group of trees near a field, but also near the marina. I would imagine they pick this spot for access to a variety of food sources. Also we have a lot of Great Horned Owls on the island, but they are more often seen and heard in the woods farther out. I would imagine, like was presented in the lesson, that the crows use the urban environment and lights to stay safe from the owls. 2. I get really excited when I see large groups of crows coming to roost. I am always curious what sorts of dynamics are at play, what relationships are forming, what is being communicated etc.

2. I am gaining such a deep appreciation for crows in particular in this course, but I am always amazed when I see any large flock of birds. I'll admit that they do bring to mind Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds," but I don't see them as dangerous or threatening. Against a sunset, they are downright beautiful. I live near Washington, DC, so I have seen "Martha," the (now-stuffed) last remaining passenger pigeon. I have read before how big their flocks were, which I think is part of why I appreciate any large group of birds now. Still, it is interesting to imagine what life would be like if passenger pigeons were still as abundant!

I am 4 years old and I live in Vancouver, Canada. I see a really big crow roost in the late summer through winter near my grandparents’ house at the edge of the city, beside the highway, in a cluster of big deciduous trees and on the roofs of big buildings. Sometimes, I see them pre-roost in my grandparents’ neighbourhood on the lawns and in the smaller trees. I like seeing them very very much. I like how they live in groups. I think there is a lot of food nearby for them, in the lawns (worms and chafer beetle larvae). There is also a lot of light from the lamp-posts.

Here in Albany,CA we haven't seen the roosting area but starting this fall have observed crows flying, we presume, to a roost. It occurs about half an hour before sunset and takes about 10/15 minutes for all the crows to fly by. They are usually in groups of 4/5 to 15 or more. I would guess there are upward of 80 to 100  crows altogether. Fascinating to watch!

The roosting in Portland, Oregon, is amazing. Each night the crows fly toward the Willamette River, which flows south to north through the city. One evening I was on one of the bridges and saw thousands of crows. It was spectacular and noisy! I live about 2 miles east where there are frequently pre-roost parties. One thing that is interesting is that the pre-parties are not always on my street or even in the same trees from day to day.

1.  I have a large back yard with a very large maple tree, but my yard backs up to a wooded area with many very large trees.  I do have a group of about eight crows that live in the wooded area very close to my property edge.  While I do not recall large roosts of crows, I have seen the number "eight" increase to about fifteen or so.  The time of year remains fuzzy to me, but I am going to pay much closer attention as we are approaching the winter season.  Many times, my crows roost in the large trees of the wooded area, so I can't always tell how many individuals there are, but I will take the time to study them more carefully this winter to make a more accurate count. 2.  When I see a large roost of crows, the first thought that comes to mind is "food."  Someone found a food source nearby and has notified other individuals as to this source.  Now I know there may be other reasons crows may actually roost together.

I grew up in Madera, California and we had a very large public park in the middle of town (still there) filled with a number of giant trees, including Elm and other varieties. I remember the large crow roosts at night when crows would come together by the hundreds, and perhaps, thousands, and people spoke of them as a nuisance. The solution by the City Fathers? Have the local police fire their shotguns up into the trees in an effort to kill as many as possible and try to prevent this roosting behavior. This was a regular occurrence until several years later, the roosting behavior disappeared. It seems that the only solution human kind can think of to solve problems is to kill, whether it be animals, human beings, birds or plant life.

For years there was a roost with hundreds of crows at a local shopping mall (North Bethesda/Rockville, a suburb of DC), which has trees and lots of light at night, which is why I assume they chose the location.  I am not sure if they are still roosting there, as the shopping mall has been mostly demolished.  I have recently (in September/October) seen many crows flying overhead in the early evening, but I'm not sure where they are ending up.  Perhaps one of these evenings I will try to follow them.

I have been to Terre Haute, IN a few times in the winter and witnessed the roosting activity there.  As a kid, there was a large grackle/"blackbird" roost in my neighborhood.  Except for a little bit of odor, we never were too worried about it. From what I know about the Terre Haute crows . . . it does not seem to be well-tolerated by many (most?) locals there.

I have already mentioned the roosting in SF.   It was surely amazing.  As I stood looking out my office window it was so interesting to see them gather.   My fellow colleagues, as was mentioned, found it creepy.   Work needs to be done to educate the general population about this beautiful natural phenomena.  A right crows deserve to have and humans should not tamper with but rather marvel at.

I have not seen the roosting areas but suspect they are roosting in several different places during the year out in our pastures.  We have several ponds in the area which would be good resources for the crows.  When I see a group of crows I am very pleases as I believe they are really cool birds!

I am filled with curiousity about where the birds I watch during the day, roost for the night. I look forward to looking more closely for crows-in-trees, as night falls.

1. Yes, but they usually don't stay in one place, trying to find the perfect spot, mainly in the fall

My mother lives in Middletown, NY. They had a huge roost situation every night (not sure what time of year it was). All the noise and mess you describe was all over the town and there were a lot of complaints. Then, all of a sudden, it stopped. I am not sure if the town did something drastic or if it was just a time of year they don't typically roost. I'm hoping for the latter.

I have enjoyed watching flight lines of hundreds of crows as they leave and return to a roost in Utica, NY around dawn and dusk when I am leaving my wellness club. The flights I see are headed west over New Hartford as they fly on to farm fields, etc. in the flight out of Utica.  I have noticed large numbers in fields on other drives. The flights are mostly silent, and determined. At dusk, they return more in groups than in one large exodus as at dawn. In another sort of flight I have noticed that I am watched from high flight by crows on patrol who seem to be checking to see what I may have put out for the taking. I have the impression that I have a reputation as friend (or sucker). I have put out peanuts for Blue Jays for years. Some crows go the the elevated dish where I place peanuts out of reach of squirrels, but they are happier if I toss a few nuts-in-shell onto the roof of our shed. Unfortunately, local squirrels caught on to this bounty, so I try to time the offering for when feathered friends are watching.  Crows are still cautious though; whereas the Blue Jays are not. The peanuts go fast, but less often to the crows. Listening to this part of the course made me sad again that we had to remove 3 spruces that were 50-60+ years old from our property a few years ago. The trees were fungal sick, and we did not want winter winds to fell them into cars people, or our house, but I felt that we were removing a favorite nesting spot. There are other large evergreens nearby, and that is where I hear the crows talking now when I emerge to service feeders. The description of crows disappearing into an evergreen is good. I will hear them, but not see them; though they can clearly see me. Clinton, NY does not have a large roost, but I have enjoyed watching the flight patterns in our area for several years.

When I lived in Williams Lake, BC Canada, I lived where I could see a roosting tree on the horizon, it was an old snag, which still had lots of bare branches.  About 50 birds tended to roost in it nightly, especially in fall. Later I lived above the lake in this same town and observed hundreds of crows (and ravens) returning nightly as they flew past my windows. I couldn't see where they roosted but they flew past for a good while each evening in groups both large and small. I had about 5 who frequented my area, and if I put food out for them they showed up in minutes and got so they cawed at me whenever I was outside.  They ignored my spouse but he never fed them.

1. Yes, I see lots of roost action happening near me. They fly to a local college campus that has a huge wetland where they can safely roost and forage. The crows tend to roost in Fall-Winter months, less in the other times. 2. I love when the crows roost together as you can see patterns of behavior. I have seen the pre-roost phase too and it's quite interesting to witness.

Here in Santa Barbara I’ve witnessed a steady river of crows heading to the roost. The numbers are too vast to estimate, but I would guess in the neighborhood of 10’s of thousands I guess Santa Barbara is a nice place to visit...even for crows

I am interested to learn that a roost in Ithaca might have birds from far away.....why is this? Migration? But Ithaca is not warm in the winter, so why would a crow migrate to Ithaca?

I had the opportunity of spending time in Lancaster, Ohio for several years taking care of a relative. I would notice crow roost in the late fall and winter.  What I noticed that the crows would not roost in the same place each night.  One night they were on one side of the "mountain" in Rising Park and then on the other side the next night.  The crows would move to other places every night.  In Toledo, in my neighborhood, there are crows but I have not noticed the crows roosting in large groups.

I live in Eastern Ontario, Canada. But, in the late 1960s through the 1970s I lived in Western Quebec, North-West of Montreal. As a child our crows would leave some time in the fall and were the first sign of spring, returning late February. Their noisy cries would mean March mild spells would soon happen. Where I am presently residing I am a 20 minute drive from my childhood home and the crows here no longer leave to go south. Have you noticed changes in the number of birds migrating south in your research?

Roosting is my favorite aspect of crow behavior. Kevin, *I wonder* if the reason that some of the urban crows chose the out-in-the-open deciduous tree and some chose the more secure conifer is simply because of personality differences?! At first, I was thinking that country crows, like me (a country girl), want to feel more secure and safe. City crows that are fine being out in the open remind me of people that live the city life...they are just comfortable being more exposed or something. But, if both the secure option and open option are being utilized in the city, then maybe since there's only so much space to go around, the individuals choose which option they prefer.

Crows roosting tonight in San Diego (7/31/19)