I have not had much appreciation for the crow. Squawkingly loud and mostly obnoxious, I have viewed them as primarily as annoying, if not a little bit creepy (“Quoth the Raven ‘Nevermore‘”). During my time in the Pacific Northwest, I learned that crows are revered by native cultures, but I couldn’t really understand why. My interest in them was mildly piqued a couple of years ago after watching an episode of Nature that explored their behavior and intelligence, but that interest ended when the credits rolled.

In our years here above the reservoir in Kansas, I have become more intrigued with birds as I watch them travel by my office windows. Crows are among them. In the winter hours after dawn, thousands of crows fly south along the edge of the reservoir. They then dutifully return the other direction for an hour or two at dusk. It’s something like a daily commute from their roosting spots to their feeding grounds which I have termed the “Crow Flow.” For some inexplicable reason, observing this daily rhythm has endeared the noisy beasts to me, providing a little comfort and consistency in the cold days.

Here’s a couple of videos my attempt to capture the phenomenon.

• https://youtu.be/-ZE8iAJXURo
• https://youtu.be/O7DLMJf7eME

See this article for a nice summary of the unique and clever behavior of crows.