Date: 1/8/26 5:53 am From: james wilson <jfwilson54...> Subject: [MDBirding] Shirlington winter crow roost: another presentation and viewing, January 17
There will be another presentation and viewing of the Shirlington winter
crow roost January 17, put on by the Northern Virginia Bird Alliance and DC
Bird Alliance. It will begin at the Shirlington Library at 4:30, for more
details and to register here is a
link: https://www.nvbirdalliance.org/nvba-events/crow-watch-260117
On Sunday, December 14, 2025 at 1:28:44 PM UTC-5 james wilson wrote:
> There was also a presentation and viewing of the Shirlington winter crow
> roost, Saturday Dec. 13, sponsored by Northern Virginia Bird Alliance and
> DC Bird Alliance. As at North Bethesda, participants got an awesome crow
> show. And this show also continues nightly all winter for anyone who would
> like to see it, here are my suggestions:
> 1. I recommend viewing from parking garage just behind the Shirlington
> Library and Harris Teeter there, 4200 Campbell Ave. Arlington. Drive or
> elevator up to the top floor of the parking garage.
> 2. Dress warmly, bring binoculars and camera and tripod.
> 3. Aim to arrive about 10-15 minutes before sunset, that's about 4:30
> over the coming weeks.
> 4. At first you will not see crows anywhere. Looking south you will see
> Shirlington House apartments and a ridge of trees off to the west. This is
> the staging site, through the binoculars you will start to see crows
> accumulating along there. But in about 15-20 minutes the sky will be full
> of thousands of crows going every which way, very loudly.
> 5. The main show lasts about 20 minutes. As darkness falls the action
> and sound will decline but not end. The crows leave most of the staging
> areas and collect around Shirlington House, which is the roost site.
> 6. Another great place to see the show from up close is the Abingdon
> Elementary School parking lot.
>
> Enjoy this amazing bit of nature.
> Jim
>
> On Monday, November 24, 2025 at 7:09:15 PM UTC-5 james wilson wrote:
>
> I went down to watch the awesome staging at sunset (from the parking
> garage adjacent to the shops and restaurants). After dark I found that
> indeed, the crows roost in the trees around Shirlington House (in front,
> behind, and west end) and in the trees in the adjacent apartments to the
> west, Park Shirlington. I am interested in any additional intelligence
> anyone might have about this roost.
> Jim
>
> On Sunday, November 16, 2025 at 6:33:51 PM UTC-5 james wilson wrote:
>
> The winter crow roost near Shirlington is also happening again this year,
> I observed it on Nov. 5 and saw birds in large numbers. There was
> substantial staging around Shirlington House and along the ridge west of
> there, but I could not find the actual roost, despite interviewing various
> local residents. If anyone has insights on where these crows actually
> spend their winter nights I would love to hear it. The Reagan Airport TDWR
> weather radar captures these crows coming and going, I have a lot of
> information about where they spend their days (out past Burke to the west,
> south to Groveton and beyond), but haven't found the roost area.
>
> FYI there will be a presentation and walking tour about the North Bethesda
> roost, and winter crow roosts in general, on December 7, I will post about
> that separately.
>
> Thanks for anything anyone can share about this fascinating bit of bird
> social behavior.
> Jim
>
> On Tuesday, January 28, 2025 at 1:31:17 PM UTC-5 james wilson wrote:
>
> There is also a very substantial winter crow roost near Village at
> Shirlington (part of Arlington). Early this month I observed the crows
> arriving from the roof of the parking garage at the end of the shopping
> area, it was very dramatic.
>
> I also spend time in the Lincolnia neighborhood of Alexandria, which is
> about 4 miles southwest of Shirlington, and I have observed a stream of
> crows heading toward the Shirlington roost, roughly flying along Braddock
> Road, lasting about 40 minutes!
>
> As for the North Bethesda roost (a separate post), I'd be very interested
> in any knowledge folks have about where exactly this roost is overnight (I
> found some at Shirlington House Apts. on 31st Street, but far from the
> total) and where the crows head to during the days. If you've witnessed
> the streams in and out, where, when, roughly how many, direction would be
> appreciated.
>
> Thanks again
> Jim Wilson
>
>
>
>
>
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