BOTHELL—Anyone living in, or passing through, Bothell near sunset has likely witnessed a peculiar sight; tens of thousands of crows holding daily councils, cawing, roosting, and congregating in one area every single night, particularly between the months of October and March.
It’s a natural phenomenon that has piqued the interest of wildlife researchers for decades, inspired Bothell-crow merchandise, attracted bird watchers, and was even the motivation behind the city’s annual ‘Crow Fest’ which takes place each October in downtown Bothell.
At the peak of this roost, researchers estimate that approximately 20,000 crows – traveling from all across the Puget Sound – from Seattle, from Mill Creek, from Mukilteo from Snohomish, from even Whidbey Island – meet, exchange information, and baffle scientists.
In fact, the distance that some of these birds travelled to-and-from their homes to Bothell each night in a single year is greater than the Humpback Whale’s annual 3,000-mile migration from Alaska to Hawaii…