It’s a little after 5 p.m., and joining the rush hour with my husband, Don, and me, are hundreds, make that thousands, of crows flying overhead. We were driving west on 228th Street Southeast in Bothell when we spotted them. It appears they’ve come from Mill Creek, but where are they going?
One day, their flight path took them directly over our house. I figured they were flying to Kenmore to settle in for the night with the great blue herons at Kenmore Park and Ride. Not that the herons would want anything to do with these noisy, mischievous rascals.
Bothell ornithologist, Diann MacRae, said she followed the masses of crows in her car, but lost track while trying to pay attention to her driving, at the same time, checking out the sky. This maneuver is not recommended. Recently, a break came in the mystery.
“Boy, do I have a story for you!” said my neighbor, Lynda West, director of student services at University of Washington, Bothell (UW-B).
As she told a tale of trees and buildings at UW-B “blackened” at dusk with crows making a deafening racket, my immediate response was, “Oh, that’s where they go!”
Apparently, these intelligent birds use UW-B/Cascadia Community College as either their staging area, or the campus has become their overnight roost where there’s safety in numbers from the big bad owl or hawk and they can catch some sleep.
“The crows probably jockey for position for the best spot on the tree,” says MacRae, of these social, vocal and playful birds.
One early evening, we decided to check out the campus to see this phenomenon for ourselves. As we walked along the sidewalk, with many crows’ eyes upon us, one bus driver opened his window and shouted, “It’s creepy!”
Squawking crows filled every ledge and rooftop of the buildings. Tree branches, laden with crows, didn’t have an available spot for any more. The wetlands below served as a resting place for additional thousands, creating a carpet of black. It’s their time to congregate after a hard day of feeding and playing.
Have you ever observed crows on garbage collection day? At our house, they sit in a tree watching my every move as I roll out the garbage can. They hope I can’t shut the lid tight and a plastic bag will poke out. Hours later, I notice holes poked into a bag and garbage strewn about. I reload the can and secure the lid. Crows in the tree nearby, holler and laugh knowing they reigned in Round One.
I’ve read crows are ground feeders and need a habitat of open land area with scattered trees, or along a forest edge. They use farmland, refuse dumps and parks where they can easily feed on insects. They hop along when they spot small prey, like a mouse. They’ll also eat grain crops, seeds, small birds, birds’ eggs, fruits, frogs and road kill.
As the days become longer and spring arrives, the roost at UW-B/Cascadia will likely decrease in size. Once breeding takes place, we’ll be able to welcome thousands more flying to campus at dusk next autumn through winter.
I had to look this one up … a flock of crows is called a “murder of crows.” Apparently they got this name because a group of crows will sometimes kill a dying cow.
Now, that’s creepy!
Suzanne G. Beyer is a Bothell resident.
