Crow Population Decline

Is it just me, but has anyone else noticed that the crow population has declined a lot in the past couple of years? I first noticed the decline during the winter of 23-24. Where I use to see flocks of a dozen or more, now there would be less than half the normal amount. Around my neighborhood on the eastern edge of the twin cities, there always used to lot of crows perched on roof tops and trees but not this past summer. And my son who lived on Iowa State’s campus in Ames, Iowa this fall, said there use to be huge flocks of hundreds and hundreds of them flying over campus on their way to communal roosting sites. But he said he did see them this year. I wonder if perhaps the population has been hit with West Nile virus. From what I’ve read, crows are highly susceptible to West Nile Virus.

Just curious what others have noticed. I suppose most people really don’t pay much attention to crows. I’m still seeing a fair number of crows around but not nearly as many as just a couple of years ago.

I had unusually large flocks of crows around my place all fall. Hundreds of them at a time. I would say the opposite, I think their population is increasing.

I have noticed the same. I was actually thinking about this recently. Usually I shoot a handful each fall during waterfowl or upland hunts. Been a few years since I shot one of them egg eating bastages.

If their population is down that is okay with me. We have too many avian predators. We could use a culling of hawks, eagles and owls too.

Still see them pretty frequently. The amount of eagles, hawks and owls is pretty incredible lately, wonder if there is some correlation/causation there.

FinnyDinDin wrote:

We could use a culling of hawks, eagles and owls too.

If thats happening dont forget cormarants.

I see and hear crows regularly at my house. Whether or not its in historical numbers I guess I havent really paid attention. What I do know however is that I have at least 2 Ravens around here now and I had never had them around here since we bought this place 27 years ago. Of if they were I never heard or saw them. THey are a funny dang bird.

We have what is likely the same dozen or so meandering around our property and the neighbors seeminly all Fall and Winter. Watching them and the hawks go at it is pretty interesting. They’re incredibly smart and are quick to pattern human behaviors. Once every few months I may pop one that is landing on the ground near the chicken coop as I try to keep wild birds away. The rest quickly learn and for months they are long gone if I even go to the window facing the coop.

We certainly see more hawks more than years ago. Eagles have been prevalent for as long as I can remember here locally right on the river.

I think all the crows have converged on Rochester. Our downtown sees several thousand a night. The city has some sort of abatement program going on but all that does is move several hundred from one location to another. I use “screamer” bottle rockets around the house to keep them away. I also use the pellet rifle to put a few in the trash can.

I have noticed a decrease of crows ever since our city garbage pickup started suppling garbage cans with lids so that the garbage could be picked up by mechanical arms on the trucks. No more garbage bags on the curbs for the scavengers to tear into before it gets picked up.

JEREMY wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>FinnyDinDin wrote:</div>
We could use a culling of hawks, eagles and owls too.

If thats happening dont forget cormarants.

Pelicans too please

BigWerm wrote:

Still see them pretty frequently. The amount of eagles, hawks and owls is pretty incredible lately, wonder if there is some correlation/causation there.

It has to be due to over logging our old growth forests

plenty of crows around this area

Avian Influenza is real and causes a high rate of mortality in many species of birds.

Domestic flocks of commercial poultry are especially susceptible to it. It’s the primary reason eggs fluctuate so rapidly in price.

CaptainMusky wrote:

I see and hear crows regularly at my house. Whether or not its in historical numbers I guess I havent really paid attention. What I do know however is that I have at least 2 Ravens around here now and I had never had them around here since we bought this place 27 years ago. Of if they were I never heard or saw them. THey are a funny dang bird.

Ravens are very smart too.

I had a few days in the bow stand where I was thinking to my self, how many gosh damn crows can there be.
We have no shortage over this way.

After getting the coffee started at 6:45 this morning I watched out a kitchen window as the crows began to leave the roosts they use in our downtown area and the exodus took almost 18 minutes. Lots of then settled back in trees along the river behind us until the sun was up fully, then they left as well. Plenty of these black crappers stay behind and raid trash containers that are packed full and the tops won’t close completely.

I’d love it if the city would allow the use of shotguns with low brass shells, like trap rounds, if they were shot into the air or trees, not on or parallel to the ground. Crows are smart birds and learn to tolerate people, however they hate the screamers I shoot off and absolutely hate BANG as in a firecracker or gunshot. I can fire the air rifle without a pellet in it and it sounds about like a ,22 going off, maybe a tad bit sharper crack, and crows will just about invert themselves trying to get away from the sound.

Our trash goes out today and it has a few black feathered carcasses in it.

Apparently, it’s just me not seeing nearly as many crows in the past year. Several of you have said you’ve been seeing a lot of them.

I do hunt them occasionally in late winter so hopefully I’ll see more this winter than I did last winter.

One thing that I’ve found interesting about crows is that in spite of them being intelligent birds, they are not shy of the blinds I occasionally use for turkey hunting. I can set up a hub blind in the middle of an open field and the crows will fly right over it and even land within shotgun range of it. I would think they they’d veer clear of it. Or maybe they’re so smart that they know they never get shot at when they are near these blinds so they’ve learned that they pose no danger.

Not sure. I’ve been riding along taking part in the Audubon society’s annual Christmas bird counts lately(highly recommend, especially if you have a background or interest in biology/ornithology) and we’ve been seeing plenty of crows.

Have also spotted or at least heard a decent amount of other uncommon songbirds, which is cool. Plenty of cool raptors too.