Re: 100’s of Crows Waterbury
I'm hoping to leave work early one of these days and get to the area ~half hour before sunset. It is tricky to observe while driving on I-84 during rush hour. I'm hoping to get off the highway and follow the crows to their final evening destination.
Cheers,
Corrie Folsom-O'Keefe
Cheshire, CT
-----Original Message-----
From: jan thespiriteddesign.com jan@thespiriteddesign.com
Sent: Monday, January 26, 2026 9:31 AM
To: Adam Fasciolo adam_fasciolo@msn.com
Cc: Tom Baptist tbaptist47n@gmail.com; Folsom-O'Keefe, Corrie corrie.folsomokeefe@audubon.org; Birds CT ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org
Subject: Re: [CT Birds] Re: 100’s of Crows Waterbury
Sent from Jan's cell phone.
Please excuse autocorrects🌿
Are there any photos?
On Jan 25, 2026, at 11:29 AM, Adam Fasciolo via CTBirds ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org wrote:
Continuing this very interesting topic on Crows in Connecticut.
Yesterday, Saturday January 24th, while driving through Waterbury on Route 8 at approximately 5PM, my wife Jo and I could see hundreds of Crows in the sky. A conservative estimate would be 300. But it could have been upwards of 500.
It would be interesting at some point to set up a viewing with binoculars a/o scopes one day to try and get a better viewing of exactly where they’re coming from and also if the flock is just one (American Crow?) species.
Adam Fasciolo
Norwalk, CT
On Jan 9, 2026, at 9:59 AM, Tom Baptist via CTBirds ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org wrote:
The history of winter crow roosts in Connecticut is fascinating.
Connecticut Birds (Zeranski & Baptist 1990) cites an article
published in Bird-Lore in 1933 that listed winter crow roosts in five
Connecticut counties, the largest roost being in Hartford of 50,000
birds and indicated that that roost was "known to exist for at least
100 years". Believing that crows were significant predators of eggs
and young of waterfowl, song and insectivorous birds, the Connecticut
Board of Fisheries and Game embarked on a campaign in the winter of
1932-33 to eradicate crows at their winter roosts and approximately
1,000 birds were shot that winter before the effort was abandoned.
The crows simply dispersed to form new roosts, "thus outrunning the men performing the killing."
On Tue, Jan 6, 2026 at 12:58 PM Folsom-O'Keefe, Corrie via CTBirds <
ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote:
In the winter months, when I'm driving home from the Bent of the
River Audubon Center, I see the birds congregating around the Rte
8/84 interchange. Often there is a line of birds coming from
Northeast and I'm pretty sure the birds that fly over my house in
Cheshire in the morning and early evening are coming and going from
this roost. New Year Eve, I was headed home from a gathering north
of Waterbury. It was snowing, thundering, and lighting. As we
drove through Waterbury, a flash of lighting startled the crows and
they took to the air. Snow, orange illuminated skies, and crow everywhere. It was quite the sight.
Cheers,
Corrie Folsom-O'Keefe
Cheshire, CT
-----Original Message-----
From: C. S. Wood via CTBirds ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org
Sent: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 11:48 AM
To: Frank Mantlik mantlik@sbcglobal.net
Cc: Birds CT ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org
Subject: [CT Birds] Re: 100’s of Crows Waterbury
There has been a crow roost in Waterbury for at least 40 years. It
has apparently relocated from the northern part of the city to the
area around the Rt 8/Rt 84 interchange. I just noticed it recently,
but I do not travel that way in the evening as often these days so
I don’t know how long it has been there.
Chris Wood
Woodbury, CT
203 558-0654
[1]C.S. Wood Photo Sampler
On Jan 5, 2026, at 11:23 PM, Frank Mantlik via CTBirds
<ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote:
Hello Ian,
I remember the Norwalk crow roost well. I no longer live in
Norwalk, so the fact that the evening roost no longer exists is
news to me. Perhaps those crows are now flying all the way to
Waterbury, or even West Haven.
Frank Mantlik
Stratford
Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 5, 2026, at 10:32 PM, Ian Devlin via CTBirds
<ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote:
4:30pm
Waterbury by Route 8
Hundreds of crows flocking to roost for the night in treetops along
RT 8 by Waterbury.
I used to see this reliably and all the time in the evening between
Exit 15 I-95/Route 7 Connector to DMV back in the 1980’s into the
1990’s. If not hundreds of crows, then at least thousands of them.
No more. Does anyone else remember this phenomenon there and then?
Capt. Ian Devlin
Norwalk, CT.
Sent from my iPhone
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"join" or "leave" in the subject or body to:
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References
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cswood-photos/albums/72157710313935571
/
To subscribe or unsubscribe via email, send an email with just
"join" or "leave" in the subject or body to:
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--
Tom Baptist
19 Brookside Court
East Hampton, CT 06424
(203) 979-6800
To subscribe or unsubscribe via email, send an email with just "join"
or "leave" in the subject or body to:
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The latest destination i’ve seen is exactly at the mixmaster
interchange of route 84 and route 8, in trees north and south of 84.
Not far from the Waterbury Hospital site that Bruce recalls.
Chris Wood
Woodbury, CT
203 558-0654
[1]C.S. Wood Photo Sampler
On Jan 26, 2026, at 9:51 AM, Folsom-O'Keefe, Corrie via CTBirds
<ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote:
I'm hoping to leave work early one of these days and get to the area
~half hour before sunset. It is tricky to observe while driving on
I-84 during rush hour. I'm hoping to get off the highway and follow
the crows to their final evening destination.
Cheers,
Corrie Folsom-O'Keefe
Cheshire, CT
-----Original Message-----
From: jan thespiriteddesign.com jan@thespiriteddesign.com
Sent: Monday, January 26, 2026 9:31 AM
To: Adam Fasciolo adam_fasciolo@msn.com
Cc: Tom Baptist tbaptist47n@gmail.com; Folsom-O'Keefe, Corrie
corrie.folsomokeefe@audubon.org; Birds CT
ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org
Subject: Re: [CT Birds] Re: 100’s of Crows Waterbury
Sent from Jan's cell phone.
Please excuse autocorrects🌿
Are there any photos?
On Jan 25, 2026, at 11:29 AM, Adam Fasciolo via CTBirds
<ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote:
Continuing this very interesting topic on Crows in Connecticut.
Yesterday, Saturday January 24th, while driving through Waterbury on
Route 8 at approximately 5PM, my wife Jo and I could see hundreds of
Crows in the sky. A conservative estimate would be 300. But it could
have been upwards of 500.
It would be interesting at some point to set up a viewing with
binoculars a/o scopes one day to try and get a better viewing of
exactly where they’re coming from and also if the flock is just one
(American Crow?) species.
Adam Fasciolo
Norwalk, CT
On Jan 9, 2026, at 9:59 AM, Tom Baptist via CTBirds
<ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote:
The history of winter crow roosts in Connecticut is fascinating.
Connecticut Birds (Zeranski & Baptist 1990) cites an article
published in Bird-Lore in 1933 that listed winter crow roosts in
five
Connecticut counties, the largest roost being in Hartford of 50,000
birds and indicated that that roost was "known to exist for at least
100 years". Believing that crows were significant predators of eggs
and young of waterfowl, song and insectivorous birds, the
Connecticut
Board of Fisheries and Game embarked on a campaign in the winter of
1932-33 to eradicate crows at their winter roosts and approximately
1,000 birds were shot that winter before the effort was abandoned.
The crows simply dispersed to form new roosts, "thus outrunning the
men performing the killing."
On Tue, Jan 6, 2026 at 12:58 PM Folsom-O'Keefe, Corrie via CTBirds <
ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote:
In the winter months, when I'm driving home from the Bent of the
River Audubon Center, I see the birds congregating around the Rte
8/84 interchange. Often there is a line of birds coming from
Northeast and I'm pretty sure the birds that fly over my house in
Cheshire in the morning and early evening are coming and going from
this roost. New Year Eve, I was headed home from a gathering north
of Waterbury. It was snowing, thundering, and lighting. As we
drove through Waterbury, a flash of lighting startled the crows and
they took to the air. Snow, orange illuminated skies, and crow
everywhere. It was quite the sight.
Cheers,
Corrie Folsom-O'Keefe
Cheshire, CT
-----Original Message-----
From: C. S. Wood via CTBirds <ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 11:48 AM
To: Frank Mantlik <mantlik@sbcglobal.net>
Cc: Birds CT <ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org>
Subject: [CT Birds] Re: 100’s of Crows Waterbury
There has been a crow roost in Waterbury for at least 40 years. It
has apparently relocated from the northern part of the city to the
area around the Rt 8/Rt 84 interchange. I just noticed it recently,
but I do not travel that way in the evening as often these days so
I don’t know how long it has been there.
Chris Wood
Woodbury, CT
203 558-0654
[1]C.S. Wood Photo Sampler
On Jan 5, 2026, at 11:23 PM, Frank Mantlik via CTBirds
<ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote:
Hello Ian,
I remember the Norwalk crow roost well. I no longer live in
Norwalk, so the fact that the evening roost no longer exists is
news to me. Perhaps those crows are now flying all the way to
Waterbury, or even West Haven.
Frank Mantlik
Stratford
Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 5, 2026, at 10:32 PM, Ian Devlin via CTBirds
<ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote:
4:30pm
Waterbury by Route 8
Hundreds of crows flocking to roost for the night in treetops
along
RT 8 by Waterbury.
I used to see this reliably and all the time in the evening
between
Exit 15 I-95/Route 7 Connector to DMV back in the 1980’s into the
1990’s. If not hundreds of crows, then at least thousands of them.
No more. Does anyone else remember this phenomenon there and then?
Capt. Ian Devlin
Norwalk, CT.
Sent from my iPhone
To subscribe or unsubscribe via email, send an email with just
"join" or "leave" in the subject or body to:
ctbirds-request@lists.ctbirding.org
CTBirds, a service of Connecticut Ornithological Association -
Bringing birders together statewide. Please support COA:
https://www.ctbirding.org/join-us/
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For list rules and subscription information visit:
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To subscribe or unsubscribe via email, send an email with just
"join"
or "leave" in the subject or body to:
ctbirds-request@lists.ctbirding.org
CTBirds, a service of Connecticut Ornithological Association -
Bringing birders together statewide. Please support COA:
https://www.ctbirding.org/join-us/
CTBirds is for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut.
For list rules and subscription information visit:
https://www.ctbirding.org/birds-birding/ct-birds-email-list/
References
1.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cswood-photos/albums/72157710313935571
/
To subscribe or unsubscribe via email, send an email with just
"join" or "leave" in the subject or body to:
ctbirds-request@lists.ctbirding.org
CTBirds, a service of Connecticut Ornithological Association -
Bringing birders together statewide. Please support COA:
https://www.ctbirding.org/join-us/
CTBirds is for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut.
For list rules and subscription information visit:
https://www.ctbirding.org/birds-birding/ct-birds-email-list/
To subscribe or unsubscribe via email, send an email with just
"join" or "leave" in the subject or body to:
ctbirds-request@lists.ctbirding.org
CTBirds, a service of Connecticut Ornithological Association -
Bringing birders together statewide. Please support COA:
https://www.ctbirding.org/join-us/
CTBirds is for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut.
For list rules and subscription information visit:
https://www.ctbirding.org/birds-birding/ct-birds-email-list/
--
Tom Baptist
19 Brookside Court
East Hampton, CT 06424
(203) 979-6800
To subscribe or unsubscribe via email, send an email with just
"join"
or "leave" in the subject or body to:
ctbirds-request@lists.ctbirding.org
CTBirds, a service of Connecticut Ornithological Association -
Bringing birders together statewide. Please support COA:
https://www.ctbirding.org/join-us/
CTBirds is for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut.
For list rules and subscription information visit:
https://www.ctbirding.org/birds-birding/ct-birds-email-list/
To subscribe or unsubscribe via email, send an email with just
"join"
or "leave" in the subject or body to:
ctbirds-request@lists.ctbirding.org
CTBirds, a service of Connecticut Ornithological Association -
Bringing birders together statewide. Please support COA:
https://www.ctbirding.org/join-us/
CTBirds is for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut.
For
list rules and subscription information visit:
https://www.ctbirding.org/birds-birding/ct-birds-email-list/
To subscribe or unsubscribe via email, send an email with just "join"
or "leave" in the subject or body to:
ctbirds-request@lists.ctbirding.org
CTBirds, a service of Connecticut Ornithological Association - Bringing
birders together statewide. Please support COA:
https://www.ctbirding.org/join-us/
CTBirds is for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut. For
list rules and subscription information visit:
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References
I often see dozens + of crows flying in late afternoon from farm fields in Southbury toward the direction of Waterbury. Don’t know if this observation is related to the Waterbury crow roost. I would think to get that many crows at the roost site they must be flying in from a good distance.
Paul Fusco
Oxford, CT
Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 27, 2026, at 6:33 AM, C. S. Wood via CTBirds ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org wrote:
The latest destination i’ve seen is exactly at the mixmaster
interchange of route 84 and route 8, in trees north and south of 84.
Not far from the Waterbury Hospital site that Bruce recalls.
Chris Wood
Woodbury, CT
203 558-0654
[1]C.S. Wood Photo Sampler
On Jan 26, 2026, at 9:51 AM, Folsom-O'Keefe, Corrie via CTBirds
<ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote:
I'm hoping to leave work early one of these days and get to the area
~half hour before sunset. It is tricky to observe while driving on
I-84 during rush hour. I'm hoping to get off the highway and follow
the crows to their final evening destination.
Cheers,
Corrie Folsom-O'Keefe
Cheshire, CT
-----Original Message-----
From: jan thespiriteddesign.com jan@thespiriteddesign.com
Sent: Monday, January 26, 2026 9:31 AM
To: Adam Fasciolo adam_fasciolo@msn.com
Cc: Tom Baptist tbaptist47n@gmail.com; Folsom-O'Keefe, Corrie
corrie.folsomokeefe@audubon.org; Birds CT
ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org
Subject: Re: [CT Birds] Re: 100’s of Crows Waterbury
Sent from Jan's cell phone.
Please excuse autocorrects🌿
Are there any photos?
On Jan 25, 2026, at 11:29 AM, Adam Fasciolo via CTBirds
<ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote:
Continuing this very interesting topic on Crows in Connecticut.
Yesterday, Saturday January 24th, while driving through Waterbury on
Route 8 at approximately 5PM, my wife Jo and I could see hundreds of
Crows in the sky. A conservative estimate would be 300. But it could
have been upwards of 500.
It would be interesting at some point to set up a viewing with
binoculars a/o scopes one day to try and get a better viewing of
exactly where they’re coming from and also if the flock is just one
(American Crow?) species.
Adam Fasciolo
Norwalk, CT
On Jan 9, 2026, at 9:59 AM, Tom Baptist via CTBirds
<ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote:
The history of winter crow roosts in Connecticut is fascinating.
Connecticut Birds (Zeranski & Baptist 1990) cites an article
published in Bird-Lore in 1933 that listed winter crow roosts in
five
Connecticut counties, the largest roost being in Hartford of 50,000
birds and indicated that that roost was "known to exist for at least
100 years". Believing that crows were significant predators of eggs
and young of waterfowl, song and insectivorous birds, the
Connecticut
Board of Fisheries and Game embarked on a campaign in the winter of
1932-33 to eradicate crows at their winter roosts and approximately
1,000 birds were shot that winter before the effort was abandoned.
The crows simply dispersed to form new roosts, "thus outrunning the
men performing the killing."
On Tue, Jan 6, 2026 at 12:58 PM Folsom-O'Keefe, Corrie via CTBirds <
ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote:
In the winter months, when I'm driving home from the Bent of the
River Audubon Center, I see the birds congregating around the Rte
8/84 interchange. Often there is a line of birds coming from
Northeast and I'm pretty sure the birds that fly over my house in
Cheshire in the morning and early evening are coming and going from
this roost. New Year Eve, I was headed home from a gathering north
of Waterbury. It was snowing, thundering, and lighting. As we
drove through Waterbury, a flash of lighting startled the crows and
they took to the air. Snow, orange illuminated skies, and crow
everywhere. It was quite the sight.
Cheers,
Corrie Folsom-O'Keefe
Cheshire, CT
-----Original Message-----
From: C. S. Wood via CTBirds <ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 11:48 AM
To: Frank Mantlik <mantlik@sbcglobal.net>
Cc: Birds CT <ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org>
Subject: [CT Birds] Re: 100’s of Crows Waterbury
There has been a crow roost in Waterbury for at least 40 years. It
has apparently relocated from the northern part of the city to the
area around the Rt 8/Rt 84 interchange. I just noticed it recently,
but I do not travel that way in the evening as often these days so
I don’t know how long it has been there.
Chris Wood
Woodbury, CT
203 558-0654
[1]C.S. Wood Photo Sampler
On Jan 5, 2026, at 11:23 PM, Frank Mantlik via CTBirds
<ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote:
Hello Ian,
I remember the Norwalk crow roost well. I no longer live in
Norwalk, so the fact that the evening roost no longer exists is
news to me. Perhaps those crows are now flying all the way to
Waterbury, or even West Haven.
Frank Mantlik
Stratford
Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 5, 2026, at 10:32 PM, Ian Devlin via CTBirds
<ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote:
4:30pm
Waterbury by Route 8
Hundreds of crows flocking to roost for the night in treetops
along
RT 8 by Waterbury.
I used to see this reliably and all the time in the evening
between
Exit 15 I-95/Route 7 Connector to DMV back in the 1980’s into the
1990’s. If not hundreds of crows, then at least thousands of them.
No more. Does anyone else remember this phenomenon there and then?
Capt. Ian Devlin
Norwalk, CT.
Sent from my iPhone
To subscribe or unsubscribe via email, send an email with just
"join" or "leave" in the subject or body to:
ctbirds-request@lists.ctbirding.org
CTBirds, a service of Connecticut Ornithological Association -
Bringing birders together statewide. Please support COA:
https://www.ctbirding.org/join-us/
CTBirds is for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut.
For list rules and subscription information visit:
https://www.ctbirding.org/birds-birding/ct-birds-email-list/
To subscribe or unsubscribe via email, send an email with just
"join"
or "leave" in the subject or body to:
ctbirds-request@lists.ctbirding.org
CTBirds, a service of Connecticut Ornithological Association -
Bringing birders together statewide. Please support COA:
https://www.ctbirding.org/join-us/
CTBirds is for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut.
For list rules and subscription information visit:
https://www.ctbirding.org/birds-birding/ct-birds-email-list/
References
1.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cswood-photos/albums/72157710313935571
/
To subscribe or unsubscribe via email, send an email with just
"join" or "leave" in the subject or body to:
ctbirds-request@lists.ctbirding.org
CTBirds, a service of Connecticut Ornithological Association -
Bringing birders together statewide. Please support COA:
https://www.ctbirding.org/join-us/
CTBirds is for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut.
For list rules and subscription information visit:
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To subscribe or unsubscribe via email, send an email with just
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CTBirds, a service of Connecticut Ornithological Association -
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CTBirds is for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut.
For list rules and subscription information visit:
https://www.ctbirding.org/birds-birding/ct-birds-email-list/
--
Tom Baptist
19 Brookside Court
East Hampton, CT 06424
(203) 979-6800
To subscribe or unsubscribe via email, send an email with just
"join"
or "leave" in the subject or body to:
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https://www.ctbirding.org/join-us/
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To subscribe or unsubscribe via email, send an email with just
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CTBirds is for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut.
For
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To subscribe or unsubscribe via email, send an email with just "join"
or "leave" in the subject or body to:
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CTBirds, a service of Connecticut Ornithological Association - Bringing
birders together statewide. Please support COA:
https://www.ctbirding.org/join-us/
CTBirds is for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut. For
list rules and subscription information visit:
https://www.ctbirding.org/birds-birding/ct-birds-email-list/
References
To subscribe or unsubscribe via email, send an email with just "join" or "leave" in the subject or body to: ctbirds-request@lists.ctbirding.org
CTBirds, a service of Connecticut Ornithological Association - Bringing birders together statewide. Please support COA: https://www.ctbirding.org/join-us/
CTBirds is for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut. For list rules and subscription information visit: https://www.ctbirding.org/birds-birding/ct-birds-email-list/
Back in the 1980’s i would see a steady stream of crows heading north
at the top of Cheshire Hill on I-84 while commuting home in the evening
from Hartford. I assumed they were heading to the roost site in north
Waterbury and coming from the shore and landfills still open down that
way.
Chris Wood
Woodbury, CT
203 558-0654
[1]C.S. Wood Photo Sampler
On Jan 27, 2026, at 8:42 AM, Paul Fusco <paul.fusco@sbcglobal.net>
wrote:
I often see dozens + of crows flying in late afternoon from farm
fields in Southbury toward the direction of Waterbury. Don’t know if
this observation is related to the Waterbury crow roost. I would think
to get that many crows at the roost site they must be flying in from a
good distance.
Paul Fusco
Oxford, CT
Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 27, 2026, at 6:33 AM, C. S. Wood via CTBirds
<ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote:
The latest destination i’ve seen is exactly at the mixmaster
interchange of route 84 and route 8, in trees north and south of
84.
Not far from the Waterbury Hospital site that Bruce recalls.
Chris Wood
Woodbury, CT
203 558-0654
[1]C.S. Wood Photo Sampler
On Jan 26, 2026, at 9:51 AM, Folsom-O'Keefe, Corrie via CTBirds
<ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote:
I'm hoping to leave work early one of these days and get to the
area
~half hour before sunset. It is tricky to observe while driving on
I-84 during rush hour. I'm hoping to get off the highway and
follow
the crows to their final evening destination.
Cheers,
Corrie Folsom-O'Keefe
Cheshire, CT
-----Original Message-----
From: jan thespiriteddesign.com <jan@thespiriteddesign.com>
Sent: Monday, January 26, 2026 9:31 AM
To: Adam Fasciolo <adam_fasciolo@msn.com>
Cc: Tom Baptist <tbaptist47n@gmail.com>; Folsom-O'Keefe, Corrie
<corrie.folsomokeefe@audubon.org>; Birds CT
<ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org>
Subject: Re: [CT Birds] Re: 100’s of Crows Waterbury
Sent from Jan's cell phone.
Please excuse autocorrects🌿
Are there any photos?
On Jan 25, 2026, at 11:29 AM, Adam Fasciolo via CTBirds
<ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote:
Continuing this very interesting topic on Crows in Connecticut.
Yesterday, Saturday January 24th, while driving through Waterbury
on
Route 8 at approximately 5PM, my wife Jo and I could see hundreds
of
Crows in the sky. A conservative estimate would be 300. But it
could
have been upwards of 500.
It would be interesting at some point to set up a viewing with
binoculars a/o scopes one day to try and get a better viewing of
exactly where they’re coming from and also if the flock is just
one
(American Crow?) species.
Adam Fasciolo
Norwalk, CT
On Jan 9, 2026, at 9:59 AM, Tom Baptist via CTBirds
<ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote:
The history of winter crow roosts in Connecticut is fascinating.
Connecticut Birds (Zeranski & Baptist 1990) cites an article
published in Bird-Lore in 1933 that listed winter crow roosts in
five
Connecticut counties, the largest roost being in Hartford of
50,000
birds and indicated that that roost was "known to exist for at
least
100 years". Believing that crows were significant predators of
eggs
and young of waterfowl, song and insectivorous birds, the
Connecticut
Board of Fisheries and Game embarked on a campaign in the winter
of
1932-33 to eradicate crows at their winter roosts and
approximately
1,000 birds were shot that winter before the effort was
abandoned.
The crows simply dispersed to form new roosts, "thus outrunning
the
men performing the killing."
On Tue, Jan 6, 2026 at 12:58 PM Folsom-O'Keefe, Corrie via
CTBirds <
ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote:
In the winter months, when I'm driving home from the Bent of the
River Audubon Center, I see the birds congregating around the Rte
8/84 interchange. Often there is a line of birds coming from
Northeast and I'm pretty sure the birds that fly over my house in
Cheshire in the morning and early evening are coming and going
from
this roost. New Year Eve, I was headed home from a gathering
north
of Waterbury. It was snowing, thundering, and lighting. As we
drove through Waterbury, a flash of lighting startled the crows
and
they took to the air. Snow, orange illuminated skies, and crow
everywhere. It was quite the sight.
Cheers,
Corrie Folsom-O'Keefe
Cheshire, CT
-----Original Message-----
From: C. S. Wood via CTBirds <ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 11:48 AM
To: Frank Mantlik <mantlik@sbcglobal.net>
Cc: Birds CT <ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org>
Subject: [CT Birds] Re: 100’s of Crows Waterbury
There has been a crow roost in Waterbury for at least 40 years.
It
has apparently relocated from the northern part of the city to
the
area around the Rt 8/Rt 84 interchange. I just noticed it
recently,
but I do not travel that way in the evening as often these days
so
I don’t know how long it has been there.
Chris Wood
Woodbury, CT
203 558-0654
[1]C.S. Wood Photo Sampler
On Jan 5, 2026, at 11:23 PM, Frank Mantlik via CTBirds
<ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote:
Hello Ian,
I remember the Norwalk crow roost well. I no longer live in
Norwalk, so the fact that the evening roost no longer exists is
news to me. Perhaps those crows are now flying all the way to
Waterbury, or even West Haven.
Frank Mantlik
Stratford
Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 5, 2026, at 10:32 PM, Ian Devlin via CTBirds
<ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote:
4:30pm
Waterbury by Route 8
Hundreds of crows flocking to roost for the night in treetops
along
RT 8 by Waterbury.
I used to see this reliably and all the time in the evening
between
Exit 15 I-95/Route 7 Connector to DMV back in the 1980’s into
the
1990’s. If not hundreds of crows, then at least thousands of
them.
No more. Does anyone else remember this phenomenon there and
then?
Capt. Ian Devlin
Norwalk, CT.
Sent from my iPhone
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References
1.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cswood-photos/albums/72157710313935
571
/
To subscribe or unsubscribe via email, send an email with just
"join" or "leave" in the subject or body to:
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--
Tom Baptist
19 Brookside Court
East Hampton, CT 06424
(203) 979-6800
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Connecticut.
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References
1.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cswood-photos/albums/72157710313935571
/
To subscribe or unsubscribe via email, send an email with just
"join" or "leave" in the subject or body to:
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References
I went on a crow quest on Tuesday and Friday after work. On Tuesday at about 4:40pm, I found two concentrations of crows. There was >600 along Chase Parkway just west of the Naugatuck Valley Community College. All American Crows (I had my windows rolled down and didn’t hear any Fish Crows). I also found a group of >200 along Park Rd where it is interested on Welton Brook. At about 5:10pm the group along Chase Parkway took off heading Northeast.
On Friday, I went to the spot on Park Rd first. No birds, but I ended up finding a group of >500 American Crow (counted by tens, windows rolled down) in the trees around the intersection of Park Rd and W Main Street. The birds would occasionally take flight and then settle further east. I followed them down Fern Circe and then found a large group congregated in the trees behind the medical complex at the intersection of W Main and Grandview. Likely many of the same birds, I estimated >1000 American Crow. When I left at about 5:15pm, they seemed to be congregating around Waterbird Hospital, which I think someone mentioned as a roosting location in the past.
Cheers,
Corrie Folsom-O’Keefe
Cheshire, CT
From: C. S. Wood cwood022@gmail.com
Sent: Tuesday, January 27, 2026 11:43 AM
To: Paul Fusco paul.fusco@sbcglobal.net
Cc: Folsom-O'Keefe, Corrie corrie.folsomokeefe@audubon.org; Adam Fasciolo adam_fasciolo@msn.com; Birds CT ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org
Subject: Re: [CT Birds] Re: 100’s of Crows Waterbury
Back in the 1980’s i would see a steady stream of crows heading north at the top of Cheshire Hill on I-84 while commuting home in the evening from Hartford. I assumed they were heading to the roost site in north Waterbury and coming from the shore and landfills still open down that way.
Chris Wood
Woodbury, CT
203 558-0654
C.S. Wood Photo Samplerhttps://www.flickr.com/photos/cswood-photos/albums/72157710313935571/
On Jan 27, 2026, at 8:42 AM, Paul Fusco <paul.fusco@sbcglobal.netmailto:paul.fusco@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
I often see dozens + of crows flying in late afternoon from farm fields in Southbury toward the direction of Waterbury. Don’t know if this observation is related to the Waterbury crow roost. I would think to get that many crows at the roost site they must be flying in from a good distance.
Paul Fusco
Oxford, CT
Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 27, 2026, at 6:33 AM, C. S. Wood via CTBirds <ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.orgmailto:ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote:
The latest destination i’ve seen is exactly at the mixmaster
interchange of route 84 and route 8, in trees north and south of 84.
Not far from the Waterbury Hospital site that Bruce recalls.
Chris Wood
Woodbury, CT
203 558-0654
[1]C.S. Wood Photo Sampler
On Jan 26, 2026, at 9:51 AM, Folsom-O'Keefe, Corrie via CTBirds
<ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.orgmailto:ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote:
I'm hoping to leave work early one of these days and get to the area
~half hour before sunset. It is tricky to observe while driving on
I-84 during rush hour. I'm hoping to get off the highway and follow
the crows to their final evening destination.
Cheers,
Corrie Folsom-O'Keefe
Cheshire, CT
-----Original Message-----
From: jan thespiriteddesign.com <jan@thespiriteddesign.commailto:jan@thespiriteddesign.com>
Sent: Monday, January 26, 2026 9:31 AM
To: Adam Fasciolo <adam_fasciolo@msn.commailto:adam_fasciolo@msn.com>
Cc: Tom Baptist <tbaptist47n@gmail.commailto:tbaptist47n@gmail.com>; Folsom-O'Keefe, Corrie
<corrie.folsomokeefe@audubon.orgmailto:corrie.folsomokeefe@audubon.org>; Birds CT
<ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.orgmailto:ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org>
Subject: Re: [CT Birds] Re: 100’s of Crows Waterbury
Sent from Jan's cell phone.
Please excuse autocorrects🌿
Are there any photos?
On Jan 25, 2026, at 11:29 AM, Adam Fasciolo via CTBirds
<ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.orgmailto:ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote:
Continuing this very interesting topic on Crows in Connecticut.
Yesterday, Saturday January 24th, while driving through Waterbury on
Route 8 at approximately 5PM, my wife Jo and I could see hundreds of
Crows in the sky. A conservative estimate would be 300. But it could
have been upwards of 500.
It would be interesting at some point to set up a viewing with
binoculars a/o scopes one day to try and get a better viewing of
exactly where they’re coming from and also if the flock is just one
(American Crow?) species.
Adam Fasciolo
Norwalk, CT
On Jan 9, 2026, at 9:59 AM, Tom Baptist via CTBirds
<ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.orgmailto:ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote:
The history of winter crow roosts in Connecticut is fascinating.
Connecticut Birds (Zeranski & Baptist 1990) cites an article
published in Bird-Lore in 1933 that listed winter crow roosts in
five
Connecticut counties, the largest roost being in Hartford of 50,000
birds and indicated that that roost was "known to exist for at least
100 years". Believing that crows were significant predators of eggs
and young of waterfowl, song and insectivorous birds, the
Connecticut
Board of Fisheries and Game embarked on a campaign in the winter of
1932-33 to eradicate crows at their winter roosts and approximately
1,000 birds were shot that winter before the effort was abandoned.
The crows simply dispersed to form new roosts, "thus outrunning the
men performing the killing."
On Tue, Jan 6, 2026 at 12:58 PM Folsom-O'Keefe, Corrie via CTBirds <
ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.orgmailto:ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote:
In the winter months, when I'm driving home from the Bent of the
River Audubon Center, I see the birds congregating around the Rte
8/84 interchange. Often there is a line of birds coming from
Northeast and I'm pretty sure the birds that fly over my house in
Cheshire in the morning and early evening are coming and going from
this roost. New Year Eve, I was headed home from a gathering north
of Waterbury. It was snowing, thundering, and lighting. As we
drove through Waterbury, a flash of lighting startled the crows and
they took to the air. Snow, orange illuminated skies, and crow
everywhere. It was quite the sight.
Cheers,
Corrie Folsom-O'Keefe
Cheshire, CT
-----Original Message-----
From: C. S. Wood via CTBirds <ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.orgmailto:ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 11:48 AM
To: Frank Mantlik <mantlik@sbcglobal.netmailto:mantlik@sbcglobal.net>
Cc: Birds CT <ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.orgmailto:ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org>
Subject: [CT Birds] Re: 100’s of Crows Waterbury
There has been a crow roost in Waterbury for at least 40 years. It
has apparently relocated from the northern part of the city to the
area around the Rt 8/Rt 84 interchange. I just noticed it recently,
but I do not travel that way in the evening as often these days so
I don’t know how long it has been there.
Chris Wood
Woodbury, CT
203 558-0654
[1]C.S. Wood Photo Sampler
On Jan 5, 2026, at 11:23 PM, Frank Mantlik via CTBirds
<ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org<mailto:ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org>> wrote:
Hello Ian,
I remember the Norwalk crow roost well. I no longer live in
Norwalk, so the fact that the evening roost no longer exists is
news to me. Perhaps those crows are now flying all the way to
Waterbury, or even West Haven.
Frank Mantlik
Stratford
Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 5, 2026, at 10:32 PM, Ian Devlin via CTBirds
<ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org<mailto:ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org>> wrote:
4:30pm
Waterbury by Route 8
Hundreds of crows flocking to roost for the night in treetops
along
RT 8 by Waterbury.
I used to see this reliably and all the time in the evening
between
Exit 15 I-95/Route 7 Connector to DMV back in the 1980’s into the
1990’s. If not hundreds of crows, then at least thousands of them.
No more. Does anyone else remember this phenomenon there and then?
Capt. Ian Devlin
Norwalk, CT.
Sent from my iPhone
To subscribe or unsubscribe via email, send an email with just
"join" or "leave" in the subject or body to:
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References
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cswood-photos/albums/72157710313935571
/
To subscribe or unsubscribe via email, send an email with just
"join" or "leave" in the subject or body to:
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--
Tom Baptist
19 Brookside Court
East Hampton, CT 06424
(203) 979-6800
To subscribe or unsubscribe via email, send an email with just
"join"
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References
To subscribe or unsubscribe via email, send an email with just "join" or "leave" in the subject or body to: ctbirds-request@lists.ctbirding.orgmailto:ctbirds-request@lists.ctbirding.org
CTBirds, a service of Connecticut Ornithological Association - Bringing birders together statewide. Please support COA: https://www.ctbirding.org/join-us/
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We were driving home to Harwinton this evening, north on Rte 8, north side of Waterbury, saw dozens of crows flying in to trees on east side of Rte 8 at about 4:15 PM. On the map, they were at this pin 41.590472,-73.058879 in the trees west side of Naugatuck River between Huntingdon Ave going up to Commons Court. You might get a closer look from Chase River Rd to see if that's the roost area, or staging to another site for the night?
I've seen them roost much closer to the Mixmaster/I-84 stack & near Riverside St in the past, but not for a long while.
Celeste Echlin
Harwinton, CT