Why Are So Many Crows Suddenly in All the Trees in Poughkeepsie?
If you were in Poughkeepsie, New York in recent weeks you may have noticed an amazing amount of crows everywhere. It was like a scene from the movie "The Birds".
In the past, I have seen this driving over the Mid-Hudson Bridge, a massive amount of crows flying in and landing on all the trees. It feels like there are millions of them. Just the other day at the studios on Pendell Road, the same thing was happening. Hundreds of crows were in the fields and trees that surround the radio station building. They were unbelievably noisy which is what got our attention.
All of the birds and the noise caused a lot of us to comment, then one person said they recalled the same thing happening last year during the week between Christmas and the New Year. Hundreds of crows just appeared out of nowhere and they were everywhere. It never occurred to us at the time that this is an annual event in Poughkeepsie.
Why Crows are Everywhere in Poughkeepsie Suddenly?
It would all still remain a strange mystery if it wasn't for the Facebook post I stumbled across today (Jan 5th, 2022) that shared the explanation for this occurrence from Scenic Hudson. Turns out that Poughkeepsie is one of the biggest winter roost spots for crows. They arrive late fall as the temperature drops and stay through early spring. So I guess the answer is, they are on vacation in the Hudson Valley.
This video from YouTube taken by Winter Crow Roost does a great job of capturing some of what you see as the crows return to the trees at night to sleep. The video is pretty amazing but you really have to see it in person to get the full effect.
When do you see the crows in Poughkeepsie?
Around sunset, the crows arrive from the Ulster side of the river and gather in staging areas prior to moving to the roost. A staging area is basically a gathering place for the crows located close to the roost. Staging sites can include trees, parking lots, buildings and (much to the dismay of some residents) backyards and houses. (Scenic Hudson)