On the Echo Park Animal Alliance list talk turned to crows this week. In numbers larger than usual.

I was in my back yard today [July 14] and heard a lot of crow noise. I looked up and saw about 10 crows flying toward the front of my house. I went up front and saw about 30 crows flying around two trees across the street from me. More crows kept coming, I think in the end there were about 50 to 60 crows, cawing, circling, flying. This went on for about 15 minutes and then they flew away. Something was really disturbing them; they were really agitated.

Funny, I have been noticing crows more than ever this year, too. I thought it was just me. For some reason I was seeing more and more of them. Maybe I was depressed. Except that I happen to admire crows. So, maybe I was happier than ever.

Narcissism aside (really?), EPAA list servers report seeing a lot of crows this year. Perhaps not for the jokiest of reasons. One member responded:

As the drought continues creatures will be hungry. Maybe that's all it was with the crows. Last week there were crows everywhere around the homes near Flat Top (Montecito Heights). I've never seen so many crows since I lived around pecan orchards. They're huge, too. ... Everything's hungry.

Another reader wrote:

Funny, walking in the park this morning I stopped to watch a few crows and realized there were several dozen of them right in the area I was watching, as if they were gathering for some reason. I've never seen that many in one area before and they're such big birds, it was impressive.

A few years ago I heard or read about a biologist who talked about crows roosting in large numbers at night, as I recall he was studying a place in Whittier where hundreds of them would gather at sundown, and then they would disperse during the day. I wonder if they're gathering in Echo Park?

That would be the posh crows. Boho crows are flocking to El Sereno.