When crows aren’t in Bothell they’re dive bombing Don’s son

KIRO Radio’s Don O’Neill has a problem, or more specifically, his son has a problem: crows.

“Whenever he gets out of the car in front, next to the Chinese Maples, they start coming down. It’s like they’re dive bombing him. Especially if he has food in his hand,” Don told University of Washington Professor John Marzluff.

Marzluff, the author of “Welcome to Subirdia,” “Gifts of the Crow,” and other titles about our neighboring feathered friends, spoke with KIRO Radio’s Ron and Don Thursday afternoon.

But Don’s crows certainly aren’t friendly.

“I don’t even feel like I can let him out in the backyard because the crows. They all come around,” he said.

It’s a common problem in Washington. The spring time brings crows out in greater numbers. And some bystanders come face-to-face with an aggressive bird.

“Some of my neighbors are saying, ‘Just chop down the trees and the crows will go away, destroy the nest,'” Don told Marzluff. “But then I listen to your TED Talk on crows and people say that where there’s crows, there’s life.”

Marzluff said that a combination of factors could be at play; most likely the fact that Don’s son is smaller and appears as less of a threat. Also, they could see him as a food source, not for his size, but because Don’s son may have dropped food before. The professor notes that crows are not the bird-brained creatures people often think of them as. They will remember a specific person for up to nine years, especially if they are associated with food.

“It’s possible he has dropped food around before and the birds are fixated around getting a meal that way, and are getting aggressive doing that,” he said. “This time of year is when nesting is starting and birds are on eggs now, so they are a little more aggressive and defensive this time of year, generally.”

Crows mate for life, and therefore, form strong bonds with each other, according to Marzluff. Crows will stick by their nests more often during nesting season when eggs are present.

The most popular hangout in the Puget Sound region is not where one might think. At least the locally popular black crows know where it is: Bothell.

“There’s about 10,000 birds that roost there in the dead of winter, together, every night,” Marzluff said.

Crows often seen in parks, on rooftops, along highways and just about anywhere people tend to congregate in Bothell.

“It’s quite a scene,” he said. “They go there for safety in numbers. And also the location. For the vegetation that’s there and the restored area by (Interstate) 405 is ideal for them. They pick a place so many birds can join and each of them have a minimal commuting distance.”