Birding in the Lower Bonne Femme Valley, southwest of Columbia, this morning, I drove out to the Missouri River where bald eagles often roost in large cottonwoods along the banks. I did not see any eagles but did observe a flock of American crows, crowded on a rock outcrop in the middle of the river. The exposed rock was only about 10 feet in diameter and I counted 32 crows.
I initially wondered if they spend the night there to avoid predation but doubt that a sizable flock of aggressive crows would be the target of any nocturnal hunter. Perhaps it was a gathering point before a day of scavenging regional farmlands but, within ten minutes, they headed off in different directions.
Any experienced birder has regularly encountered much larger flocks of crows (especially in winter) but this morning's sighting was, after 50 years of birding, new to me. Such is the nature of birding and the reason that we are repeatedly drawn into the great outdoors.
