Crows and Cemeteries

Dec 1, 2009 | 0 comments

I went to the Congregation Albert cemetery today to help show some burial plots to a couple seeking to find their perfect final resting place. While driving through Fairview Cemetery to get to the congregation’s section, I was struck by the number of crows that flocked around the grounds.

Remember the opening to the HBO series “Six Feet Under”? That focused on just one crow. Today, there were at least three dozen sauntering around on the grass, in the trees, and in the middle of the road. It seemed like they almost dared me to run them over. They leisurely strutted out of my vehicle’s way as I slowly drove by.

Crows are scavengers and like to collect shiny things. Why they gather in cemeteries is a mystery to me. All the bodies are buried too deeply to scavenge (that’s why folks get put in six feet under). Perhaps they are nature’s way of enforcing speed control and decorum in the graveyard.

And one more fun fact: Flocks of specific birds have different names, such as a gaggle of geese, a cover of coots, or a congregation of eagles. Here, we had a murder of crows.

A Good Goodbye