Invasion of crows!

charlie792

Sorry I know this isnt really pet related but I really had no idea where else I could post this....

Basically where I live in the city is a residential area, the last week or so my area has been absolutely invaded by crows (I assume crows?, fairly large black birds), now we're not talking one or two, Im talking about a hundred or so circling the sky above my house. Its only started over the last week and Ive no idea where they've all come from....

Its a row of houses, mine being along the main road, then behind mine a lane, then more houses, a road and more houses etc. I noticed there are some very big trees a bit further on where some of these birds seem to be but the majority of the time they seem to just be circling over my house and the adjoining rows constantly - they are so loud for a start and my patio is now covered in birds mess. It actually looks a bit scary looking up and seeing a constant moving black swarm

So my point is, would there be any particular reason all these hundreds of crows would have suddenly appeared and are circling our area. Are they likely to move on or do you think the are likely to be a permant feature of my house?

Raksha

A crow in a crowd is a rook, and a rook on its own is a crow - so I'd guess these are actually rooks, maybe looking to make a new rookery (communal nesting area) in those big trees.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

They're great birds - at my old place, which was on the top of a hill, they used to bounce around on my TV aerial and backchat if you said anything to them.

After a few years, I learned to recognise some of their calls - Rakrak meant CAT, for example, Rawrrawr meant DOG and RAAAAA meant Food!

The best thing ever was looking out over the valley on an extremely blustery day to see that the Easterly was blowing up a real clanger from the Thames estuary, but they were all bowling around in the swirls and updrafts above the school playground (We tended to get mini tornadoes/very large dust devils). They did this for at least half an hour before I saw them getting tipped out the top of the swirls, where they landed in the trees around the school and sounded like they were all laughing their heads off. It reminded me of a bunch of adrenalin junkies surfing until they wiped out on the beach in a big heap!


They are a distinct improvement on pigeons.

Raksha

LOL - there's a rubbish tip about half a mile from the back of our house, I can often look out and see columns of mixed corvids and gulls circling up and up in thermals coming off the rubbish. Sunrise and sunset will also see hundreds and hundreds of the same birds flying over our house from their roosts.
Locally we have a Crow family - I've called the male Clack Clack Crow, as he makes a very strange individual call, his mate has a very normal Crow call, but their offspring from last year is half way between the two....

ka7e

I'll swop your circling crows for the bloomin' gulls that have returned for the 3rd year running, to nest on the house opposite! Once they get settled in, the shrieking goes on all night long. Then the chicks make a noise like a squeeky wheel for weeks. I risk being dive-bombed whenever I walk my dog and my cats turn into quivering wrecks.

It's not just my road, every street seems to have a resident gull family and it has only happened in the past 3 years.

suki1964

We have a rookery next to our house in the tall tall trees. Every winter they come and nest there, make new nests in the spring, rear the young and go for the summer - returning every October.

They make a hell of a mess. Our three houses here on this plot beside them have all built car ports to protect the second cars and to have somewhere to hang the washing to dry without being covered in poo

And they are quick to clear a bird table

You could try a bird scarer to try move them on before they lay eggs

coops228

Is there any nice way to get rid of them?

The reason I ask is that they have taken a liking to the mirrors and glass of mine and my neighbours cars and have started to do a fair bit of damage.
Not sure if this is common behaviour??

???