A LOT of birds!

[Karen]

Did you get a close look? Were they grackles or crows or do you know? Grackles tend to travel in huge flocks, and as they are not native here, are regarded as pests by many people.

[kitten645]

Kinda creepy! I used to like crows until I saw on trying to kill a baby duck! I didn't know they did that! Poor baby was all bloody in his mouth I scared the crow away and the poor duckling was panting. I thought it might have a heart attack! He ran away under some shrubs

[krazyaboutkatz]

Wow! We have big black crows here and I can't stand them. They make so much noise and are so messy too. We used to not have very many but it seems like they've multiplied over the years. Sorry if I offended any bird lovers. I didn't mean to.

[chocolatepuppy]

Ha ha! Just like the movie! I think I'd have been freaked out by that!

[Medusa]

Yes, that happens every year here in autumn and it is rather scary. As Karen said, they're usually grackles, too, but sometimes they're smaller birds, wrens, I think.

[Catherinedana]

Birds of a feather flock together for real. Flocks of blackbirds usually include crows, common grackles (sometimes but rarely boat-tail grackles), red-winged blackbirds, cowbirds, and sometimes, but not usually starlings (they usually do their own things). The birds in the picture look like grackles to me (long tails). Can't view the video here but will look when I get home.

Crows are incredible birds. The are predators when the opportunity presents itself. Opportunistic feeders is the best label. They were probably killing the duck because it was already ill. Definately not nice to see but that is nature. Unfortunately when you interrupt something like that the duck gets away to spend the rest of the day (or perhaps longer) to die and the crow's babies do not get any food. I believe that unless you plan on rescuing the duck and caring for it, nature should take its course. Nature is harsh.

Crows gather in big flocks at a meeting places and "discuss" the goings on in the area, then they disperse and do their thing. They use tools and have been shown to think out situations from beginning to end result. When kept in captivity they can mimic human speech and other sounds. I know one fromt he Bird Sanctuary named Jeffery who is fabulous. He is my "boyfriend" and when I walk into his enclosure he says "Whoa!" in a sexy voice, then asks for head scratches. There was another who has since passed on called Josephine and when I would approach her I always said "How's my good girl!" After a few weeks of this, when she saw me she would say "Goo Girl!" I think that was her name for me. . .

[Medusa]

Birds of a feather flock together for real. Flocks of blackbirds usually include crows, common grackles (sometimes but rarely boat-tail grackles), red-winged blackbirds, cowbirds, and sometimes, but not usually starlings (they usually do their own things). The birds in the picture look like grackles to me (long tails). Can't view the video here but will look when I get home.

Crows are incredible birds. The are predators when the opportunity presents itself. Opportunistic feeders is the best label. They were probably killing the duck because it was already ill. Definately not nice to see but that is nature. Unfortunately when you interrupt something like that the duck gets away to spend the rest of the day (or perhaps longer) to die and the crow's babies do not get any food. I believe that unless you plan on rescuing the duck and caring for it, nature should take its course. Nature is harsh.

Crows gather in big flocks at a meeting places and "discuss" the goings on in the area, then they disperse and do their thing. They use tools and have been shown to think out situations from beginning to end result. When kept in captivity they can mimic human speech and other sounds. I know one fromt he Bird Sanctuary named Jeffery who is fabulous. He is my "boyfriend" and when I walk into his enclosure he says "Whoa!" in a sexy voice, then asks for head scratches. There was another who has since passed on called Josephine and when I would approach her I always said "How's my good girl!" After a few weeks of this, when she saw me she would say "Goo Girl!" I think that was her name for me. . .

That is so interesting! I had no idea that crows mimicked like that. Wow.