The Cornell Lab Bird Academy › Discussion Groups › Anything but Common: The Hidden Life of the American Crow › Roosts
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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.
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Crows roosting tonight in San Diego (7/31/19)
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We live in northwestern Georgia on 6 acres. We have pasture land and forest areas. Most of the time I see our crows in the open field in the AM. There must be at least 50 or more at a time. In the late afternoon we hear them cawing around to others high in the trees. I’m not sure where they are roosting, but I’ll try to be more observant.
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1. I think I've seen "pre-roost" gatherings, near the shopping plaza in downtown E. Dennis, MA. I have noticed a lot of crows (maybe 30) gathering, calling, in certain large trees (deciduous) near the road and a riding outfit near the plaza. However I don't see the crows roosting on branches out in the open there when it gets dark. That's why I think they may go somewhere else. There are plenty of pine trees in that area as well. The plaza itself has some garbage containers behind it, plus is next to a fish restaurant, and a bakery, which may have interesting food scraps. 2. I'm very excited about it. I try to pull over if I'm in my car and observe.
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I live in Palm Springs, California. The vegetation is largely palm trees, and there is a group of about 20 crows that settle into those trees toward dusk, and have been doing so all Spring even to the present day, Mid-July. They call back and forth for a couple of hours. There are also several ravens in this neighborhood, sometimes in clusters of 4 or 5. Not sure who it is, but either the crows or ravens harass a pair of kestrels that have settled into one of the palms. Only once did I see a very large congregation of crows: about 60 gathered on the roof of a house directly across the street from ours and carried on for about an hour before dispersing.
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Each fall a large number of crows gather in tree across the road in our semi country area of Guelph Ontario.It seemed that they were planning their trip to warmer areas,!!
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There is a huge sycamore tree close to my apartment which is on the sixth floor. Early one morning in December, 2017, it was still somewhat dark, I pulled back my curtains and the tree was full of crows! Hundreds! They all seemed to be facing north. And if that wasn't enough, a full moon was behind the tree, one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I think the crows selected this spot mainly because of warmth, the tree is located at the corner of a section of the building. There is a creek nearby so easy access to water. Food, other than what people drop on the sidewalks I can't think of any sources in the immediate area. Location, 200 block of Geneva St. Ithaca, NY
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I've seen two different roosting areas both in the fall of the year. Different towns close by but both near busy shopping areas. The first one was in a group of large conifers. They were gathering in the early sunset. The second was in a mixture of hardwood and conifers at the back of a shopping center close to a nearby neighborhood of houses. Again in the early evening. An amazing sight to see and hear.
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I don’t have large roosting groups wish I did. But I've got a family that nest near by and bring the juveniles to my yard to forage and learn to fly it’s amazing they have been coming for 8 yrs every day AM and PM been saying Hello to them and positive this year the one said it back. I can sit in yard and they will come down and forage in front of me . My thoughts when I do see large group of birds coming to roost is absolute happiness we need to learn to coexist together .theres always a way if you have the desire to try .
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Yes, the local area crow roost is in a suburb of Vancouver, where thousands roost. I've gone there around dusk and observed the crows arriving; the roost is spread over a few blocks in what I'd describe as a light industrial area. There are trees in the area but there are many buildings of about the six floor height. The birds will fill the trees but also line the rooftops... as you drive around (and sometimes I've walked around), you'll see them; crow, crow, crow, all in a row, then an occasional seagull in the mix for some reason, just bunking in for the night I guess. It's amazing watching all the crows arrive at their roost and they don't just arrive and settle in for the night in one spot right away... they're going back and forth and it seems like there's lots of interaction going on between many of them. The air feels electric, it's an invigorating experience just being there! I understand this suburban Vancouver roost has been in the same location since the early 1970's. There is also a creek nearby although I don't know if that is why they chose this sight. I sometimes get to see crows at pre-roost get togethers as well. There are some popular sites around town for these but it's not always the same spots each day, although some are used more often. Usually these get togethers have hundreds, as opposed to thousands or crows. As if all that wasn't exciting enough, I live on a route commonly used by crows heading to roost around sunset. Sometimes I look out for them going... but again it's not always the same.... every day the pattern changes so it's not completely a pattern. There's always some early-birds, some extended family groupings that seem to like to get a head start... or perhaps they're going to a pre-roost first. Sometimes the line of crows will extend across the sky from the west to the east-side of town.... other times, they split up and go on more southerly, or more northerly angles to arrive at the same spot. The biggest groups seem to be at the end of the summer, mind you in the winter they're already gone to roost by the time I get home from work.
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There's a fairly large winter roost near the Mid-Hudson Bridge in Poughkeepsie, NY, about 10 miles south of me. When the Hudson is frozen over, the pre-roost gathering spot seems to be on the river ice. The crows must disperse over a fairly wide area during the day, because for about 2 hours in the mid to late afternoon we'll see a constant stream of crows over our house, flying south along the river to the roost. There will almost always be at least one crow visible in the air at this time, and often a dozen or more, seemingly in loose groups. We don't notice the same concentration of birds or arrow-straight flight in the morning, so they must be taking their time, wandering a bit, on the morning flight north. I have to say I love driving down past the roost just before dawn on winter mornings, seeing the crows covering the deciduous trees as thickly as leaves. And I also love just standing outside watching them all fly south in the afternoon. They're really quite beautiful birds.
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1. Yes! In a tree near McDonald's! Not sure what time of year.
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I’ve not seen a large group so far, just the two that visit our yard. I’ve seen large groups elsewhere, and I’m always in awe at their numbers and how social they are.
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Reminds me of that old movie - the birds!
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Where I live is a sort of pre-roost. There are large gatherings of crows in late afternoon. They talk and fly about and drink or bathe in the stream, then they take off. I know where there is a large roost not far from me (about 3,000 birds). I really don't see much variation in the gatherings near me over the year. I like having them come through.
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I haven’t seen any of the large roosts (like Michele I would love to hear tips on where to find them), but quite often towards the end of the day I see a lot of crows busily and noisily flying off to what I’m assuming is their roost. Right now all the birds in my yard seem to be extremely busy feeding and taking care of young birds. I don’t notice as much grouping together with the crows even at the end of the days. They are all business right now.
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To find ours in Lansing, Michigan, I do just that. At the end of the workday, I have followed the flying direction of any crows that I can see. I eventually was able to locate the roost. Same thing in the morning on the way to work, you can see the general direction of where they were roosting because everyone is flying OUT from that direction. No matter where you are in the Greater Lansing area, it never fails that in the morning, crows are flying away from south Lansing. In the evening, crows are flying toward south Lansing!
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1. No 2. Model 6 for crows
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1. There is a large (tens of thousands) roost in Lebanon, NH. I get to see this in the late fall/winter time. One year they were roosting along an interstate exit ramp where there are only deciduous trees, another year they were roosting on the property of a hospital campus “camping out” in both deciduous and conifer trees. They are an incredible sight. My thought on why these two sites were chosen (within a couple miles of each other) is the benefit of the increased amount of nighttime light they can use to help protect them. In the vicinity there is a city dump, many restaurants with dumpsters, several rivers, a college with lots of pizza, and a lot of open space all of which could be useful to crows. 2. During mid to late afternoon there is a steady stream of crows all flying in the same direction heading to the roost. It seems there is a lot of dynamics being worked out among the roost population with the amount of chatter and jockeying that occurs. Others who have witnessed this have reacted with disgust which seems like an unfortunate disconnect with nature to me. I feel fortunate that I have had the opportunity to witness this crow behavior.
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I have also seen the Lebanon roost. I was driving on 89 on my way to Vermont at dusk one winter evening. About ten miles east of Lebanon, I began to see small streams of crows headed in the same direction. These soon became very large streams of birds until the sky in front of me was filled with them. The sun had set but the sky was still brilliant red, and the birds and bare trees were in sharp silhouette. I too was reminded of the Passenger Pigeons and how amazing the sight of their gatherings must have been. How sad that so many people associate these fascinating and intelligent birds with sinister intent! If they only knew what they were missing in not knowing the real story of these crows...
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I have not seen large roosts here in Northern CA (SF Bay Area). I'm wondering how I might go about discovering where these are in my area. Any tips?
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I recommend contacting either Golden Gate Audubon or Mount Diablo Audubon. I’m sure some of their members know the locations of crow roosts and will be happy to share the info!
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