Date: 1/9/26 6:58 am From: Tom Baptist via CTBirds <ctbirds...> Subject: [CT Birds] Re: 100’s of Crows Waterbury
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...> 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...>
> Sent: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 11:48 AM
> To: Frank Mantlik <mantlik...>
> Cc: Birds CT <ctbirds...>
> 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...> 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...> 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/72157710313935571/ >
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> "leave" in the subject or body to: <ctbirds-request...>
>
> 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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> CTBirds is for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut. For
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--
Tom Baptist
19 Brookside Court
East Hampton, CT 06424
(203) 979-6800
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