massive crow roost

There are a number of nocturnal crow roosts scattered around the county at this time of year, but the one at the Bonita Plaza shopping mall in Bonita is especially impressive. My estimate this morning is 4,000 birds. Many of them roost at the actual mall but an even larger number are in the bordering riparian along the Sweetwater River. This really is impressive to see it and I suppose is reminiscent of the movie “The Birds” on steroids. Best time to be here this morning was between 6:00 and 6:20 a.m., although it’s overcast so on a clear day it might be a few minutes earlier. One good vantage point is standing in the parking lot in front of the JCPenney store on the I-805 side of the mall. And even though crows are not the favorite bird of almost all of us, this really is quite impressive and worth seeing, and also would be a good lesson in estimating bird numbers!