100’s of Crows Waterbury
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
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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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:
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References
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
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Bringing birders together statewide. Please support COA:
https://www.ctbirding.org/join-us/
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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.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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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
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birders together statewide. Please support COA:
https://www.ctbirding.org/join-us/
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: 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
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:
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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
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
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there is a separate murder of 100 plus fish crows around my neighborhood and downtown Woodbury, not sure exactly where they roost for the night, but pretty sure it’s not with the AMCR roost in Waterbury. Good question about mixed flock roosting, probably need to sit by the roost area with the recorder on and listen as the birds come to roost.
Chris S. Wood
Woodbury, CT
203 558-0654
Follow me on:
Flickr -https://www.flickr.com/photos/cswood-photos/
Instagram - cswood_nature_photography https://www.instagram.com/cswood_nature_photography/#
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
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 "join" or
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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/
--
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
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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/
Many years ago the roost was at the Waterbury Hospital. There were American Crows and Fish Crows. Interestingly, each species appeared to roost separately in different trees.
Bruce Finnan
Southbury, CT
-----Original Message-----
From: Adam Fasciolo via CTBirds ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org
Sent: Sunday, January 25, 2026 11:29 AM
To: Tom Baptist tbaptist47n@gmail.com
Cc: Corrie Folsom-O'Keefe corrie.folsomokeefe@audubon.org; Birds CT ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org
Subject: [CT Birds] Re: 100’s of Crows Waterbury
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
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19 Brookside Court
East Hampton, CT 06424
(203) 979-6800
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I sent the following in response to Adam's post but suspect it did not go through. I didn't get it. Apologies if it is a duplication for any of you.
Bruce
Many years ago the roost was at the Waterbury Hospital. There were American Crows and Fish Crows. Interestingly, each species appeared to roost separately in different trees.
Bruce Finnan
Southbury, CT
-----Original Message-----
From: Adam Fasciolo via CTBirds ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org
Sent: Sunday, January 25, 2026 11:29 AM
To: Tom Baptist tbaptist47n@gmail.com
Cc: Corrie Folsom-O'Keefe corrie.folsomokeefe@audubon.org; Birds CT ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org
Subject: [CT Birds] Re: 100’s of Crows Waterbury
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:
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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.
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list rules and subscription information visit:
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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:
ctbirds-request@lists.ctbirding.org
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Bringing birders together statewide. Please support COA:
https://www.ctbirding.org/join-us/
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To subscribe or unsubscribe via email, send an email with just "join"
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Bringing birders together statewide. Please support COA:
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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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list rules and subscription information visit:
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Hi Bruce and everyone -
If ever in doubt about whether your posts go through, you can always check the listserv website to look for it: https://lists.ctbirding.org/empathy/list/ctbirds.lists.ctbirding.org
The problem of not receiving your own posts happens sometimes; mainly because your email server may flag the email as suspicious. As a result, it may end up in your junk folder or it might even get blocked completely where you cannot see it at all.
It's always best to check the website - if your post is there, it went to the list - whether you received the email or not.
I hope this helps!
Happy 'snow birding'.
Chuck Imbergamo
CT Birds Moderator
Connecticut Ornithological Association
From: Bruce Finnan via CTBirds ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org
Sent: Sunday, January 25, 2026 12:55 PM
To: 'Birds CT' ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org
Subject: [CT Birds] Re: 100’s of Crows Waterbury
I sent the following in response to Adam's post but suspect it did not go through. I didn't get it. Apologies if it is a duplication for any of you.
Bruce
Many years ago the roost was at the Waterbury Hospital. There were American Crows and Fish Crows. Interestingly, each species appeared to roost separately in different trees.
Bruce Finnan
Southbury, CT
-----Original Message-----
From: Adam Fasciolo via CTBirds ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org
Sent: Sunday, January 25, 2026 11:29 AM
To: Tom Baptist tbaptist47n@gmail.com
Cc: Corrie Folsom-O'Keefe corrie.folsomokeefe@audubon.org; Birds CT ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org
Subject: [CT Birds] Re: 100’s of Crows Waterbury
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:
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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:
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To subscribe or unsubscribe via email, send an email with just "join"
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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:
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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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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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CTBirds is for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut.
For list rules and subscription information visit:
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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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CTBirds is for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut. For
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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/
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