Crows

We have a big, old, dead tree in our yard that often has crows hanging around in it. Or at least in the summer you'll often see them there.

I never really thought about where they were when they weren't here - but there is a good chance that they go to Terre Haute.

Terre Haute is about 45-50 miles away - and in the winter - that is where the crows go. There is reported to be app. 58,000 of them there this winter.

The birds like areas such as Terre Haute that are surrounded by farmland where they can find food, said Kevin McGowan, with the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology. Cities also provide lighting and are warmer than rural areas.

According the Wabash Valley Audubon Society: The crows roost in the city from December to March, which coincides with the crow hunting season (late) in Indiana (Indiana's 2006-2007 Hunting Season). So, crows may be coming into the city to avoid hunters. Crows are the only Indiana "game" animal with no daily limit.

But according to another article - there is also a crow season in July and August - so that doesn't really explain it. I think they just like it there. One article compared it to college students going to Panama City. And that may be as close as anything.

In recent years, Terre Haute’s crow population was the third highest in North America, according to the annual Christmas Bird Count by the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.