Crows

A countless number of crows have made the downtown Square their home. Photo by Darryl Smith

Every day at sunset during the winter, thousands of crows fill the sky over Bloomington. They descend, primary over the downtown, finding branches, wires, and rooftops on which to roost, and causing messes below.

By mid-winter the sidewalks around the downtown Square are often caked in crow droppings, a challenge for the City Department of Public Works to clean up. When the temperature warms, city workers move in to blast the encrusted excrement from light poles, railings, and sidewalks using pressure washers.