Crow Help - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

Bronko · 02-02-2010, 09:16 AM

About a week ago I was in a different section of town dropping something off at a friends house. I got out of the car and looked up and thought I was in the movie The Birds. There had to have been 200-300 full sized adult crows in the trees in about a block sized area, crows on every branch. The noise was almost deafening...

Fast forward to Monday night, I pull up to the house and get out of my truck and i hear the same sound. It's dark, but as my eyes adjust I can see the same 'Murder'(can you tell I have been researching) of crows is now in my neighborhood. About 5-6 homes including mine have had the crows the the last 2 days. Both mornings they start at 5 am and by 6am I can hear them over a humidifier and a fan. The noise is incredible when they all start to squawk.

So I have done some research and I now know they are extremely intelligent, sociable creatures that prefer to stay true to one area to roost.

I was out the last 2 nights with noise makers and flashing the lights. They have vacated the trees in my yard, but are now in the neighbors trees. Anyone had anything like this. I guess my next step is fireworks/BB gun/etc. All illegal, but I am damn sure if they decide to sat, its going to be uncomfortable for them.

Higgie · 02-02-2010, 09:27 AM

You can try something called Bird Bangers which is a small gun that takes a charge in the back and then launches noisemaker/ firework style shells into the air. Every golf course ive worked at uses them to keep geese off the turf in the winter. Not sure where we get ours but i can do some further research.

MakoMike · 02-02-2010, 09:37 AM

The murders are much larger during the winter and they tend to move around more. You should be on the right track to get them to move somewhere else. It's the smaller murders during the spring/summer that stay in an area, usually around where one of two pair have built nests.

Joe · 02-02-2010, 10:11 AM

Was it the night before trash day? I swear they know what day trash day is, they show up in my neighborhood every trash day. I took the photo above of a few sentinel crows in my back yard last year. Sentinels perch on the edge of the murder and lookout.

RIJIMMY · 02-02-2010, 01:22 PM

Sounds like a biblical sign to me. Get a "the end is near" sign and start parading up and down your street.

Bronko · 02-02-2010, 02:05 PM

Mike and Joe, you are both spot on. My parents have a small group 8-10 that have been nesting near their house on the cape (summers) for 4 years.

I'll try to snap a pic, I think you'd be floored by the sheer numbers in this murder. Although they really don't start to gather until dusk/nightfall.

FishermanTim · 02-02-2010, 02:19 PM

Crows (and ravens as well) are quite intelligent. They know what to look for when scavaging, and have easily associated people with food supplies (trash). They also know what signs to look for, like increases squirrel activity, which also means more food.
Since they are a communal bird species, they are drawn together for companionship and safety, and since they roost at night, are easily spotted moving to and from their roosting sites.
Since they aren't likely to stick together through most of the day, if they are hanging around your area in large numbers, there is probably a food source that is keeping them there.

Pete_G · 02-02-2010, 02:54 PM

They do seem particularly unruly this year.

I had to run out side and run directly at a large number of crows "murder"ing a red tail hawk they had assaulted and pinned to the ground.

They seemed to be intending to kill the hawk, feathers were everywhere.

Oak trees around the yard seem to be keeping the crows in the neighborhood. Traditionally, due to the squirrels, it's raptor country, but not right now.

Nebe · 02-02-2010, 03:02 PM

A crow never forgets the face of a person who attacks it.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Raven · 02-02-2010, 04:04 PM

bottle rockets

Fly Rod · 02-02-2010, 06:26 PM

They have become a nuisance sense there has been a lack of interest in shooting them.

Backbeach Jake · 02-02-2010, 06:31 PM

Kill one. Hang it upside down from the roost tree. The rest will hold a wake and move on. No BS.

Bronko · 02-02-2010, 06:42 PM

Not a sign of them tonight in my area, but I was really interested in where they had gone. Got in the truck at dusk and sure enough further up the hill about 2 miles from my house they are roosting and swarming. Mike I think you are on to the trash routes.

FishermanTim · 02-03-2010, 11:04 AM

Thay also like to have more than one roost.
That way they have a choice of the most secure roost, and best chance to thwart any potential invader/attacker.

Higgie · 02-03-2010, 12:30 PM

Is there any bird feeders nearby? If there is maybe they need to be taken down for a few weeks. Like an earlier post said the squirrels go after the bird seed and the crows see the extra activity. And as far as the Bird Bangers we buy ours from a company call Oesco, they have a website Oklahoma Electrical Supply Company

Slick Moedee · 02-03-2010, 03:23 PM

Crow Busters - The Complete Resource For Crow Hunting and the Crow Hunter

Peterjay · 02-03-2010, 09:21 PM

A couple of the towns I've lived in have had huge crow concentrations; once they take up residence, there's not a thing you can do about it except learn to live with them. About 20 years ago, Westerly, RI had a flock of between 1,000 and 2,000 that would sometimes roost in back of my house. They were fairly quiet at night, but at first light, they'd start with the bickering and squawking. Sounded like Thanksgiving Eve at a turkey farm. It was like living in an Alfred Hitchcock movie, except it went on for years. People tried everything from screaming at town council meetings to waving dead crows around to tossing firecrackers to putting fake cats on their lawns. All it did was give the crows a good laugh and move them down the block until the fuss died down; then back they'd come. Nothing worked, and people tried everything there was to try. All they accomplished was proving that the entire town of Westerly couldn't outsmart a bunch of critters that had brains the size of peas. I had the good sense to leave town, but from what I heard, the crows stayed. For all I know they're still there. Hope so. They weren't any harder to get along with than most of my other neighbors.

Raven · 02-04-2010, 06:27 AM

i spook all my crows.....

the minute they start squawking in the big tree's
i go out on the deck and crow right back at them
and off they go.....

they enjoy chasing after owls and hawks
because theirs no foliage to hide them and the birds of prey
are quite vulnerable.... at this time of year......

as they are the crows and Raven's only natural enemy

so if you went over to a "wood lot" a quarter mile away
and set up a recording of a hawk or owl fight with crows
you'd draw them over there like it was MAGIC....

Crow · 02-10-2010, 11:47 AM

Can't we all just get along??

Bronko · 02-10-2010, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crow

Can't we all just get along??

Classic.

striperman36 · 02-10-2010, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raven

i spook all my crows.....

the minute they start squawking in the big tree's
i go out on the deck and crow right back at them
and off they go.....

they enjoy chasing after owls and hawks
because theirs no foliage to hide them and the birds of prey
are quite vulnerable.... at this time of year......

as they are the crows and Raven's only natural enemy

so if you went over to a "wood lot" a quarter mile away
and set up a recording of a hawk or owl fight with crows
you'd draw them over there like it was MAGIC....

Maybe you could advertise this as a service Raven.

Raven · 03-19-2011, 05:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by striperman36

Maybe you could advertise this as a service Raven.

WIZARDS are only summoned by other Wizards.

Raven · 03-19-2011, 06:01 AM

most people don't know that they are one of the few bird species
that actually hunt their prey in unison using a group strategy ,the same as wolves
and it probably evolved by crows observing wolves and imitating them.

they have a strategy that is extremely intelligent as they have figured out how to push an animal such as a rabbit right into the claws of some other crows waiting to Ambush then they share the carcass.

FishermanTim · 03-21-2011, 01:41 PM

I get a kick out of watching the crows harrass a hawk.
You would think that the hawk wouldn't back down, but the crows are relentless. They will take turns attacking, like wolves or hyenas, so that there will always be one attacker that will be able to strike freely.

And of course you might think that the hawk could seek refuge in amongst the tree branches, and you'd be wrong! The crows can manuever through branches at high speeds. The crows are pretty much the bullies of the bird world.

When a crow comes to your bird feeder, it may feed if you are using corn kernals or peanuts, otherwise they may have follwed their prey and stopped when they noticed other birds in the area.

Although we don't get them in large numbers, you can definitely hear them when they roost. I particularly like their "clicking" sound (it was used in "Jurassic Park for the veloceraptors.)

Heck, I saw a opossum Saturday night while out looking at the full moon. Man, that thing was HUGE, but at least it wasn't a raccoon or a skunk.

SurfCaster413 · 03-21-2011, 03:00 PM

I always found that a 20 gauge took out a crow perfectly