You can tell the time of day by the activity of the crows that live in the neighborhood. At dawn, you'll hear them cawing as they head out to the county to feed, and at dusk, they call out as they gather in the CWE for the night, see above.
One evening when I was out taking photographs of the holiday windows, I found myself marveling at the noise and sight of so many landing in the trees on Maryland Avenue. Someone stopped to watch them alongside me and said: "Lots of people complain about the crows, but I rather like them." It was around this same time that I noticed many people searching out the posts that I've written on this subject, so I thought I would fill you in on what I've learned since.
I first contacted CWEnder Martin Schweig, my go-to expert on birds, about the prevalence of crows in the CWE in 2010. This is what he said then:
"In the fall, after the nesting and raising of their young is over, crows start gathering in increasingly large flocks. This social behavior seems to have great survival value over trying to make it alone. During the daylight hours the flocks seem to disperse to the city outskirts (Ladue, Chesterfield etc.) to feed and then in the evening they return to the city where there are lots of tall trees and it is warmer. (Here they also unload their meals from earlier in the day). There is a lot more light in the city so they can move about all evening long. They do not seem to need 8 hours of sleep every night. In the early spring, they start to pair off, look for nesting sites and abandon the flocks."
Not long ago I observed three separate flocks (or murders) heading into the neighborhood from Forest Park. The first group flew toward the northern reaches of the neighborhood, the second to the middle (over Maryland Plaza), and the third to the south.
When I was headed back to the CWE late one afternoon, I observed a large number of crows flying into the park, so I decided to follow them. They were landing in the trees on the golf course near the Jewel Box, above, and gathering on the baseball field adjacent to Hwy 64/40, below.
I contacted Martin once again about what appears to be an increase in the crow population, and this is what he replied;
"Yes, the crow population has increased in the last few years. The CWE seems to be a popular place to gather because the area is well lighted, has large trees and tall buildings. Lighting is a large factor. It gives these birds more time in the evening to move about, socialize and form large flocks. Another factor is that it is slightly warmer in this area because all of the buildings give off heat. I think, however, that most of the population of crows move on later in the evening to Forest Park or similar areas where there are more roosting places, less noise and probably a greater feeling of security."
I hope this helps explain what our noisy neighbors are up to, and that you might find it a little bit fascinating yourself.
Do you remember several years ago some disease hit the crows and they virtually disappeared for many years. I’m glad to see them back! I saw a video of a crow who would fly off and get a nut, sit on a traffic light, wait until a car was coming, drop the nut in front of the car, and then fly down and get it after it was broken open by the car driving over it! Gotta love crows!