Anything but Common: The Hidden Life of the American Crow

1. In the winter, I have seen many pre-roosts, usually about 20 crows at a time, in different locations in my town. I have mainly seen these pre-roosts in a few nature preserve areas and I think the crows are drawn to them because there is a lot of tree cover, food opportunity, and water access. However, I don't know where their final roost locations are and what draws them there. 2. My main thought when seeing crows roosting together is that it is really cool! You don't get to see that many birds coming together to roost like crows. I also wonder what crows are thinking when they roost and if they have favorite friends to roost with.

When I lived in Saginaw, Michigan, I loved watching the crows flying in from the farm fields in the evening as I drove home from work.  They liked to congregate on Ojibway Island, which is a park area in the city along the Saginaw River.  This small island has many large trees for the crows to roost in.  I saw the largest numbers of crows flying in during the fall and winter.  I would then see them leaving in the morning to head back out to the countryside.  I found them fascinating to watch.  I often thought of it as a crow convention, and thought of them having conversations as they shared details of their day or caught up with friends.   Before sunset, the roost was very active, with much movement and crows calling to each other.

1. I haven't seen any of these large roosting going on. 2.  The Birds of course!  But that doesn't really frighten me.   I would probably slowly approach to see how close I can get!

I have not seen such large roost since moving to Utah but remember them from my time in Iowa and Pennsylvania.  As Kevin mentioned, I made associations with Hitchcock's movie as a reference my mind had stored away.  I never felt threatened, was fascinated and certainly noticed the 'mess' they made.

There is a large roost of crows (in the 1000s) near my home in the Hudson Valley, NY next to a dump.  The crows and seagulls take turns feeding from the dump.  There are many other smaller flocks that also roost and feed there.  TVs also feed from the dump and there are plenty of raptors (eagles, hawks and ospreys).  I originally thought the raptors were hunting the crows but I think they eat from the dump as well.  It is very very noisy and the crows make up most of the noise.  I think there may be ravens as well but I am not sure.

I don't often notice or find crow roosts other than in the cemetery. but when I do see them, my first thought is usually that they seem to be hanging out with friends. some are talking, others are playing and chasing each other described in the video, as a sleepover of sorts. I never knew they pre-roosted together, and that some wouldn't stay for the sleepover. It's really interesting how some are for taking cover, while others sit in the open.

Pictured is a large tree full of a mixed species roost of smaller birds, such as sparrows and bulbuls.  But on another occasion, in a few palm trees nearby, I witnessed a large roost of grey-necked crows.  The environment is a well-lit golf course, and the roosting trees were next door to the terrace of a bar/restaurant, which I believe is a draw as a food source.  It was winter in the UAE, and it can get quite chilly, although only in the low 50's F in this area.  Still, perhaps warmth was also a motivating factor.  Information sharing would also be valuable, since the area is also urban and there are diverse feeding opportunities to discover.  ... I think crows are fascinating to observe, and I've always thought birds were "sharing" somehow when they chirp and vocalize during communal roosts.

My property is a roosting site, especially in the late Fall and early Winter. I have a number of large red spruce trees and the y love congregating in the upper reaches of those very tall, old trees.

2. I’ve never personally seen crows roosting to be a “bad omen” or some kind of sinister action; I don’t get many large. Roosts around where I live, so judging from the few large gatherings I’ve seen, they give the impression of a spectacle of nature.

I have found one roosting area in a city where i work.  There is a large acreage of woodland in the center of a dense urban area. As a shift worker, i find myself parked near the woodland sometimes in the early hours, 4-7am.  I learned that there is much to talk about in the crow community at that hour! The sounds...i am not sure how one crow can hear another above the loud chatter.  But it makes me smile every time. I imagine they are waking up and checking on each other, asking where they will go today ,  the young ones maybe asking to be fed. Which leads me to my second answer: seeing them together and talking and preening and getting set for the day, as a group, makes me love them even more as i find similarities between them and us.

Number 2....First thought comes to mind is R U N, not really. First thing I think of is WOW look at those beauties.

i have never seen crows roost where I live however when i was on vacation in vancuver city i stayed for 2 nights at capilano rv park and in the evening there was at least a few thousand flying over and roosting in nearby trees they were baren trees as well. then in the morning they would all fly back to downtown vancouver. it was really cool cuz for a bit they would block out the sun there were so many

1) While I have not seen crows roosting in our area, I have seen red wing black birds. They usually arrive in mid-December and are gone by mid-Feb. I suspect they have chosen our local cemetery due the trees along the grassland and the creek. They can forage in nearby grassy areas and then easily return to the roost at night. 2) Using the red wings as my example, when I see the groups coming to roost, I am fascinated by how quiet a large group can get when night falls.

We have Crows and Ravens but I haven’t seen large flocks around our home. We have a family of crows that will come when I make a cawing sound. I feed them peanuts and corn. I enjoy watching them.

I shared previously that I experienced crows roosting in large deciduous trees outside my home in Chicago in early spring. It was at least 40 birds that covered the tree tops and it was so unusual that I felt something was wrong with the birds. Now I know that this was a normal behavior. I can only think they may have selected this spot because it was well lit with city street lamps and plenty of food may have been available from nearby garbage cans. Although, I did have bird feeders in my backyard that attracted other species, I never saw crows feeding from these feeders. But I did witness a hawk stalking the smaller birds feeding there.

1.  As mentioned in the last section, we observed a large roosting in our rural area of KY, in winter, with thousands of crows.  Now that I've learned more, I imagine they chose this particular area because of the lighting.  It is near a shopping center and has more lights than most of the rest of the area.

We see them in late fall and winter. We think they are cool  to see and hear them.

I'd have to search for the pictures I took but I saw crows roosting in the woods between my house and the campus of Notre Dame.  There was a path through the woods and I commuted on foot.  It was March so no leaves on the trees but there were so many crows it LOOKED like the trees were completely leafed out.  It was really amazing but just a bit creepy when the birds went completely silent as I walked past then started up behind me. Like a typical human idiot I always said hello and that I wasn't a threat to them--I think it just felt rude not to.   I've never seen that behavior before of since but that's when my fascination with crows started.

I live in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia (Canada) and once when I came out of the mall at night the whole huge parking lot was covered in what seemed like thousands of crows (you couldn't see the ground for the crows). They were mostly quiet, but kind of murmuring amongst themselves. I think it was the fall. Why were they there? What were they doing? Roosting on  the ground? The same thing happened at night that year at the local high school, in its parking lot. It actually felt scary, since it seemed like unusual behaviour, you had to walk through crows to get to your car, and you couldn't help wonder what they were talking about. I guess Alfred Hitchcock didn't help my imagination. I've always loved crows, but this seemed weird!

I remember that my children and I marveled at the massive numbers of crows roosting in tall trees in the Rockville area of Montgomery County, Maryland in the late 1980s and through the 1990s. Then in the 2000s West Nile virus swept through the county and the trees were empty. The experience left us feeling a real sense of loss. Now I live in the Allegheny Highlands in a rural wooded area. There are crow families around, and we do have several dozen turkey vultures who come in to roost in the tall pine trees each winter. But I have yet to spot a crow roost. I'll have to look harder.

I have never seen a crow roost, and I would really love to find one. What’s the best way to go about looking for a crow roost?

I live in Lexington, KY., and starting in mid-July, I can go out about 8 p.m. and watch a stream of hundreds of crows emerge from a far point on the horizon and fly in a straight line overhead, disappearing over the opposite horizon, west to east. I've counted more than 200 on that particular sky highway. That's earlier in the year than this module indicates, but it's held true for the last two summers. They may have been doing this longer, but I only noticed them in 2020.  This summer, they made their pre-roost and roost in the tops of neighborhood deciduous trees, rather than flying farther away.  I know that many of them spent the night in those trees, because I could hear them leaving about 5 a.m. the next morning.  This fall I've noticed that they seem to have moved on to roosting in a nearby Kroger's parking lot. I was leaving the store one evening when the noise made me look up. Hundreds of birds were grouping in three deciduous trees along the border of the lot.  I stopped and took it all in. They were chattering and moving around. I pictured them saying, "Is this seat taken?" "Sorry, I'm holding this branch for Harry, but how are the kids?."  Point: I was the ONLY person in that parking lot looking up at the birds. No one even glanced their way, which I can't understand considering the cacophony they created.  I'm working on my master naturalist certificate now, with the hopes that maybe I can help people to stop and notice all the fascinating things that are going on around them. It breaks my heart that they're missing marvels like this. But I digress. They may be choosing those spots to roost because of the surrounding street/parking lot lights. Both areas are fairly well-lit. I doubt if there would be much food there, unless Kroger is leaving some of their waste uncovered.  And the birds don't seem to dwell in the neighborhood after the sun comes up. As for the thoughts that come to mind when I see them stream into their roosts or pre-roosts?  Joy. It's just that simple. I marvel at that awesome line of birds streaming from a far point on the horizon to an equally far point on the opposite horizon. Something beyond what I'm capable of is guiding them, whether it be a desire for community, or an innate need for safety in numbers.  One night about a month ago in early October, I stood and watched them stream overhead (don't look up with an open mouth!) and was fascinated by one bird in particular.  A helicopter crow, I thought.  He/she was acting like a social director.  Visiting others in the flock, actually staying in one place vertically in the air, flapping wings in a flurry to accomplish the feat.  I've never seen anything like that.  He/she darted back and forth, would find a particular face he recognized, or maybe didn't, and would stop upright in front of that bird. They'd chat for a second, and then off he would go to do the same thing with someone farther back in the flock.  I could have watched that for hours, but eventually even he went over the horizon.  (They were heading in the Kroger direction that night.) Yesterday (mid-November) I was driving through the Kroger parking lot when I noticed a car parked below the trees where I had seen the crows roosting in September, and realized they're still roosting there.  That car, which had obviously been left in the lot overnight, was COVERED with huge splats of bird poop.  That was no starling poop. Someone was not going to be happy.   Tip to self: do not leave car parked under trees at night.

The best roosting area I've seen is no longer available to the crows - it was an "empty" lot next to the building I worked in, in a far west suburb of Chicago. The trees in that lot held hundreds of crows during the winter months. The noise was amazing! iIt was fun to watch them come  in to roost. it wasn't far from farmer's fields, and a small pond was nearby as well. Possibly the dumpsters behind the building I worked in had some attraction as well? Crows are amazing - i love watching them.

I live in Bothell, WA and the University of Washington has a campus here in town that is near a wetland which is a roosting area. There is a researcher at UW who estimates that the roost has ~10-11,000 crows. We often see them flying over at night around dusk to head back to the roost and large groups of hundreds will often stop at various places along the way before continuing on. During the day I see smaller groups (maybe families) around town but I'm sure others disperse even further.  Curious to know if you have done any collaborations with the UW research group over the years? Also, I assume these may be Northwest crows given our location?

I live in the EU and this year I spent a month in Romania. I could observe some huge roosts up close. In the city of Sighisoara there are two big roosting places, one near the Townhall and one near the cemetery. There are hundreds or thousands of jackdaws and rooks that share the trees and the roofs without quarreling too much, but then I saw that hooded crows tried to join the fun but most of the time they got mobbed by jackdaws and in the end they just stayed a little bit outside the roost and slept in couples. These big roosts don't seem to be too affected by the season, as I could observe them in July in many cities, and it seems like jackdaws and rooks are the ones who get along the best. I asked a local if they were bothered by their presence, as they were extremely noisy and messy (expecially jackdaws, I witnessed them trying to remove tiles from a roof), but she told me that people are actually used to them, as they have been roosting there as long as they can remember, and probably for centuries. I spent hours watching those Corvids roosting together, it was a marvellous sight, and it was very interesting and fun to observe how they behave with one another and how they fought for getting on the top of the roost.

Over the spring and summer there were many crows roosting in trees in our residential neighborhood.  Starting in September, they would visit during the day but roost elsewhere.  We found a large roosting area near a shopping mall - it had many trees and a construction site nearby.  The crows seemed to really like the construction site.  They would line up on the open beams.  We've observed that crows always like a place where they can view from many angles, and also where they can get away easily.  If we feed them near a corner or a wall they are much more cautious, probably because there are fewer escape routes.  The construction site gave them an excellent unobstructed vantage point and there was very little activity there overnight. There were both American crows and fish crows present, and they seemed to mix quite fluidly.  

2. When I see a large group of birds come by its always an exciting thing to see. The most I have seen a group of crows is a total of 10. I can imagine how cool it will be to see a huge roost of crows landing in my yard and sleeping on top of the trees at night. I would not want to disturb them even though I would want to intervene and be surrounding by them and take pictures and photographs.

I went to Syracuse University for my Masters degree, and lived close to downtown. Walking home from class I remember seeing huge roosts of crows gathering in the trees and still remember those chilly October evenings so vividly.  I now live in Naperville, and though I see and hear crows sometimes, I haven't been able to attract them to my yard. (Though we have many bird feeders and other features to attract birds.) West Nile hit the local population hard, and I hope their numbers rebound quickly.

I live in Southeastern New Hampshire and we see crows mostly in the fall - Oct-Nov.  I have never seen them roost but I know they must.  During the day they alight near bird feeders and a pond and never stay long.  I have never seen them eat seeds from the feeder - even if the seeds landed on the nearby ground.  At the same time, there is also another flock a football field size away in the middle of a grassy hilly field.  The two groups always appear to be talking to and working with each other.

1. No.  2. I haven't seen a large group of crows before, but I am always amazed when I see large flocks of grackles, geese, swans and other flocking birds. It's just incredible to watch thousands of geese and/or ducks, or cormorants as they fly from roosting area to feeding area, and back.

Lived in Rochester, MN from October 2020 to January 2021. The roosting described in the video was what we saw there. We lived right downtown and had trees across the street from us teeming with crows for the night. There was also a cemetery nearby and that too was a haven as mentioned in the lesson video. And the noise and mess were present too!  

There are a lot of crows (and all other kinds of birds) in my area, but unfortunately not right where I live. I see them during the day from time to time, but I've never had the pleasure of seeing them coming together to roost. Seeing the information about the random-ness of who or where or when the crows choose to go to a communal roost or stay home with the fam does not surprise me at all and actually reinforces my main reason for loving crows- they do what they want, and they just don't care!

Here is a huge flock of crows. They gather at sundown near an historic adobe structure in between our city of Ventura and neighboring agricultural areas.

I spend a week in Portland Oregon every winter for work and last year, February 2020, there was a noticeable increase in the crow population in the downtown area.  The crows were roosting by the hundreds in the large trees in the park that runs along the west side of the Willamette River and foraging on insects emerging from the ground in the park.  The crows were roosting by the tens in all the smaller trees up to a few blocks inland from the water.  It was amazing to see and one of the reasons I was interested in taking this course and finding out more about crows.

Ive never seen - sort of am sad that i havent.

I love crows.  Unfortunately, in our area, there are none to be found.   I have not had the pleasure of seeing a large group of crows coming to roost.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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,!!

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

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.

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 .    

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.

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.

1.  Yes!  In a tree near McDonald's!  Not sure what time of year.

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.

Reminds me of that old movie - the birds!

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.

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.

1.  No 2.  Model 6 for crows

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.

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?