Fall is usually the time of year when huge flocks of crows start flying in at dusk from the 
surrounding agricultural reserve to communal roosting areas in Rockville and Gaithersburg. 
There used to be a big patch of trees near Montrose Road and Jefferson Lane where they'd 
congregate; when a lot of that patch was cut down for development, they moved over to 
White Flint Mall. The yuppie shoppers were NOT happy about having their Lexuses and 
Mercedes and BMWs covered with crow droppings - White Flint tried to use noise to drive 
the crows away, without much success.

The size of the crow flocks dropped off dramatically when West Nile virus first hit, and 
further development has cut down more stands of trees for them to roost in, but I think the 
crows are bouncing back. I actually love driving up Rockville Pike at dusk, looking at the 
ominous clouds of crows against the sunset sky, flying in, perching, nodding and bobbing 
and cawing to one another. It's a reminder that, even with all the development in 
Montgomery County, we're still part of a natural cycle!

Mary LaMarca
Silver Spring