Anybody know anything about crows?

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   pgrundyposted 15 years ago

   Got up this morning to this unbelievable racket that sounded like about 100 crows. It's twelve hours later and they are still at it. As near as I can tell, it isn't 100 after all, it's just a few, and they seem to be stationed in a tree in our yard (right next to the bedroom). I walked under it and they stopped long enough that I could hear a jay in there, so possibly it's a really, really long argument?
   
   I never saw (heard) anything like it.
   
   Seriously it's been going on at least 12 hours nonstop.
   
   Anyone ever had that happen? Do you know why they are doing that?

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      Eaglekiwiposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Sounds interesting ,possibly a courting ritual.
      
      All I know alot of crows are called a "Murder"
      Maybe they have been plotting? lol
      Anything on google perhaps?

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      lisafwg01posted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Are you sure they are crows and not Starlings? The Starlings around here have just begun their annual "let's annoy everyone with our endless chatter" routine.

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         pgrundyposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         Wow, you know, I can't actually see them because the leaves are shielding them. They sound like crows, but maybe you're right.
         
         Maybe I've just never had the opportunity to witness that.
         
         I did move here from the city, so that could be it. We had both in the city but they never stuck around and I kept my windows shut for safety reasons.
         
         As I was writing this, they moved to another tree. Didn't see them. Can hear them carrying on now down the block somewhere.

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            Eaglekiwiposted 15 years agoin reply to this

            Establishing pecking order for the season lol maybe its like their own elections ...or like HB forum lol
            Glad they moved though, man Id be thinking Hitchcocks 'The Birds'

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            Make Moneyposted 15 years agoin reply to this

            Yeah I wouldn't doubt they are starlings too.  They'll gather together when they are migrating in the spring and fall.  One fall while hunting I came across thousands of them perched in just a couple of trees grouped together.  They weren't squawking so I walked up to them without knowing they were there.  When I looked up I thought I was in a Hitchcock film.

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      mohitmisraposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      The crow is the mystics animal. Could be directing you or giving you some sign.

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         pgrundyposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         You know I actually believe stuff like this. In fact, I have a sort of a relationship with crows, so it freaked me out worse than it might have, thinking, "Oh my God! What now????"
         
         They're gone now, but thinking it over, I get it.
         
         I get it on both levels. They announce endings for me, seriously. And I just had a big one, so that all makes sense.

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            mohitmisraposted 15 years agoin reply to this

            You are too cute

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   Ivorwenposted 15 years ago

   I have 3-5 crows that frequent my house all summer long, and they are noisy occasionaly, but not all the time.

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   pgrundyposted 15 years ago

   I tried Google first. Lots of general info on crows, but nothing that specifically talks about marathon arguments.
   
   I know that crows sometimes pick a tree as sort of home base and cluster there, sometimes by the thousands, but this isn't that. (Yet! lol!)
   
   It's just weird. I hope they knock it off soon.

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4. 71

   brad4lposted 15 years ago

   I am not sure what this means, but perhaps they are just talking to each other. Crows are super intelligent, very social, and also very loud by nature.
   
   If they keep at it, you might consider building a scarecrow by or even in the tree.
   
   As a side note and example of how smart crows are, this is a video by this guy named Joshua Klein who built a crow vending machine and taught the crows to bring coins in return for food. It is pretty neat (http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/josh … crows.html)

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      pgrundyposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Wow, that's pretty cool. I do love the crows here. Just never saw them (heard them) do this. Thanks for the link!

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   Shadesbreathposted 15 years ago

   I grew up on a cattle ranch, and we had a lot of starlings.  But there are many kinds of blackbirds.  I don't know a lot about all of them, but there is one account that I have heard about how at one point, twenty four black birds were wrapped in a pastry shell, plopped in a pie plate and baked.  From what I understand, when the delicate pie was cut open, the birds actually burst into song, apparently in front of a king or president or something.  Anyway, his wife wasn't there because she was having peanutbutter and honey sandwich, so, one of the birds flew off and out a window into the courtyard where a maid was doing laundry and pecked out her eye... or it might have been her nose or something.
   
   Normally I would say that's probably BS, but as I understand it, pretty much everyone has heard that story, so I seriously doubt it's not true, as inane as it sounds.

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      pgrundyposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      LOL! Why didn't I think of this? Thanks, I understand it all now.

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   Dame Scribeposted 15 years ago

   I can tell you that in NA culture (for my area) crows are akin to garbage men since they clean up roadkill but ...crows do gather in crowds too and they are usually a family group.

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   dwilliamsonposted 15 years ago

   I visited Valemont BC one spring and there were hundreds of crows on top of this tin roof making an awful racket. What I witnessed was a courting ritual because one crow would dance beside another one a little smaller. It was very strange to see.

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   KT pdxposted 15 years ago

   There were (and still are) crows that lived in the backyard of the house I grew up in.  Most of the time, they kept to themselves, sound-wise, unless something bothered them.  My guess is, if it is crows, that the jay was the problem.  They would be trying to chase it away, especially if it was trying to nest in the tree they had chosen.  Crows are very social, and will nest in a group in one tree, as well as gather in a group.  Other birds, especially jays and hawks, are the enemy and will be chased off by the whole "murder".

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   Rotemposted 15 years ago

   when crows act like you describe its probably because one of them is in danger probably a nestling.

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    Paragliderposted 15 years ago

    Crows and starlings don't sound the same at all. I've seen/heard crows behaving like this, but not for a few years as we don't have them here. I'm glad they've stopped, for now at least!

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    Jewelsposted 15 years ago

    In Australia they don't say "stone the crows" for no reason.  They're great for roadkill but when you tune into the bird itself, it's quite filthy - perhaps because it's eating roadkill!  In Brisbane they are a normal part of the landscape.  Quite loud and irritating.  Starlings are nowhere near as loud, though Starlings are a predominant bird, pushy would be a good word for it.

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    Shil1978posted 15 years ago

    When one of their own kind (perhaps other birds too) dies they do that. That's what I've observed, but am not an expert!! Perhaps, some kind of mourning ritual - who knows!! But, they are clever birds.

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       Lady Guinevereposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       They are very clever.  The last few years O would hang flower pots on my backdeck and they would hop on the tree in front of it and jump to the pot and rip out my plant.  This year I put old CD's on the top of the hanger and they haven't bothered them.  The did try to attack one of my cats that was laying on the banister on the deck the other day.  They made a ruckus about it.

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    Lady Guinevereposted 15 years ago

    I have crows do this about a month in the spring.  If I yell at them to stop they do it more so.  I just think they are old ladies gossiping in the trees.  They are very annoying..especially in the morning when I am still sleeping.  I swear they do it on purpose.

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    kerrygposted 15 years ago

    Starlings are what came immediately to my mind as well. We get huge flocks of them through twice a year. They stick around for a day or two making a horrible racket and chasing other birds away from feeders and things and then disappear back to normal levels. the spring batch went through a few weeks ago here, but you are farther north.

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    Randy Godwinposted 15 years ago

    More than likely the crows (if they are crows you should easily distinguish them by the cawing sound) have young which are threatened by hawks or other animals.  They will harass a hawk, or sometimes a coyote or other animal, for long periods of time.  It seems strange for a large hawk to be afraid of these birds but they are.  I have witnessed this many times.  Some Native American tribes have stories about this phenomenon.

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    earnestshubposted 15 years ago

    If you check a crow out you will see why other birds fear them, they are strong and fast with a fierce bite too.They are also smart as hell, and a murder of crows is not to be messed with.

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