[Birdtalk] Crow Ruminations

[Bryant Olsen]

In the winter of 2002-03 I was spending a lot of time in Ogden, and I noticed all the Crow there, which just a few years earlier I would only see on the Idaho-Wyoming border area in Utah, and occasionally a few in the winter. A few years after that, maybe 2004, I started seeing them in the Bountiful area, particularly around the cemetery, and in just the past few years, maybe since 2006, the have become regular, Year round residence in Salt Lake Co., especially around Liberty and Sugarhouse Parks. The only reason I can see that they are doing so well in Weber Co. is maybe that they still have a lot of farm land, which the Crows feed in, where as in Salt Lake they seem to only be found around Large Parks, which are few in number. It's been very interesting watching them adapt and expand their range over the years and just give them so more time and I bet they will be all over the Salt Lake valley.
Good Birding
Bryant Olsen

--- On Wed, 1/7/09, Kristin Purdy <kristinpurdy at comcast.net> wrote:
From: Kristin Purdy <kristinpurdy at comcast.net>
Subject: [Birdtalk] Crow Ruminations
To: "Bird Talk" <birdtalk at utahbirds.org>
Date: Wednesday, January 7, 2009, 9:39 PM

What a difference two counties make!

This morning, I was at the corner of 4th South and 6th East in Salt Lake City
when I heard and saw an American Crow calling from a treetop. In Salt Lake
County, this bird seems to be a minor celebrity and is post-worthy. Contrast
that with my experience on South Harrison Blvd in Ogden, Weber County, yesterday
afternoon at about 5:00. I was watching the sky to the west and saw a flock of
crows take to the air and head southeast, their usual direction in the late
afternoon in winter. The birds became so numerous that I had to resort to CBC
counting techniques--count ten, then estimate the number of tens. I figured the
flock numbered 400-500 birds--not an unusual sight for Weber County, and not at
all post-worthy.

I sure don't know why American Crows have taken such a hold in Weber County
(first nest was only reported in 1998) while their numbers remain so low just
two counties south. Anybody know? And while you're at it, anybody know what
a flock of 500 crows eats every day to sustain them through the winter?!?

Kris 

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