In an email to my mass-mailout list, I wrote the following:

"Here is a puzzle we haven't been able to figure out. Every night, around 8pm, hundreds and hundreds of black crows fly past our building, originating somewhere west of us (maybe English Bay or the west side) and aiming toward what looks like East Van or Burnaby. Does anyone have any idea where all these birds are going and why they are going there?? We guess they are heading off en mass to roost for the night, but it seems like strange behaviour to us!"

Lots of people wrote to me with theories. Even more people wrote wanting to know if I had received any satisfactory replies! Here is a collection of what I heard back from folks:

Melanie wrote "... the crows have a spot here in the industrial area of Burnaby where they have been going for the night for several years..."

Graham offered this: "my theory is that they're ravin' mad (sorry). No but seriously folks birds have their own 'fly pasts'. In our neighborhood the birds will all congregate in one tree and then suddenly they will all zoom over to another tree. With a lot of bird noises. Also, in North Vancouver we lived next to a rookery and they did the same thing. Why? Don't ask me, ask the crows."

My cousin Anna wrote, "I'm afraid I haven't a clue about the hundreds of black crows!!! - erm .... a very strange sight though I'm sure! - I remember seeing hundreds and hundreds of fruit bats (they are quite large) flying from A to B in Northern Queensland when I was travelling - that was a fairly amazing sight."

Curtis had this to say. "I see them (at least some crows, if not the same ones) flying along the north shore mountains, from West Van toward North Van or Vancouver, at about the same time each evening. A similar thing happens in the Gulf Islands -- in the evening one can see a whole bunch of them flying along Navy Channel, toward Saturna Island. Crows are quite social. They roost in rookeries in very large numbers. They apparently forage in groups as well. They have a reputation as being among the smartest of all birds. I've read various reports over the years of crows at play -- sliding down slick roofs just for the fun of it, doing barrell rolls in flight, just for the fun of it."

David offered this theory (do you think he's serious?): "I think I may have an idea why the Crows are doing that. Isn't there a dump east of Richmond? Maybe trash trucks dump their daily pickups late in the evening?"

Valerie wrote, "They are going to roost for the night. From late summer until spring, crows live in flocks. In spring they pair off to raise their young."

Sarah had this to say. "... I seem to recall someone saying that they actually do fly en mass for bedtime to Central Park in Burnaby."

My dear husband Mark wanted to share these observations after we watched the crows fly by again last night. "Those darn crows! Sunset is a time for play, it seems, for some at least. While the bulk of the flock flies quite somberly (well, they are all black, after all), some pairs of crows - youngsters? - swoop and dive at each other, cutting the the late evening sky with ferocious looking pirouettes. It seems all in good fun - no feathers fly - and though they trail behind for a moment or two, they quickly rejoin the crowd. Of late, the crows have been stopping on their flight at the construction site opposite us. Hundreds of crows rest for a time up on the ledges and columns of the top floors, or take view of the surroundings from the crane above, only to move to on to more familiar surroundings for the night. It is when the flock resumes its migration that I notice the "dog-fights" in the air. I wonder if these hard playing pals have been at it all day. Long after the bulk of the crows have disappeared into the east, a few stragglers flap by, the fading light nagging at their tardiness."

Maryliz took a look at her Medicine Cards and reported the following quotes.

"If you look deeply into Crow's eye, you will have found the gateway to the supernatural. Crow knows the unknowable mysteries of creation and is the keeper of all sacred law."

"Since Crow is the keeper of sacred law, Crow can bend the laws of the physical universe and 'shape shift.'"

"Crow is an omen of change. Crow lives in the void and has no sense of time. Crow merges light and darkness, seeing both inner and outer reality. "Pause and reflect on how you see the laws of the Great Spirit in relation to the laws of humanity. Crow medicine signifies a firsthand knowledge of a higher order of right and wrong than that indicated by the laws created in human culture. With Crow medicine, you speak in a powerful voice when addressing issues that for you seem out of harmony, out of balance, out of whack, or unjust."