A Most Intense Conversation

With experiencing nature, there are trade-offs. I no longer live among the common nighthawks, and I miss them so. But to be back among the crows fills me with pleasant feelings and wonder.
 
When I lived in Schenectady, New York, I felt welcomed into their world, a few times. These experiences happened during fall, when people were not in the park or by the water, as I was. There were no calls that I remember, just quiet. I felt close to them. Other times, I was just a spectator but nevertheless, fascinated.
 
Currently, I don't feel as if I am a part of their world, but I do feel somewhat close to them...more close on a regular basis than I have felt in the past. They are always around, living their lives, talking, and don't seem to pay me any mind. In all the experiences I've had with crows, none seemed so vocal as the ones here in North Dakota. Today I came across a conversation which seemed to be intense. There were many crows together, which surprised me because it's still summertime...although I feel as though I can sense the coming of fall. There were about 12 crows in a some trees from what I can see. The trees were close together. Others were on the roof of a nearby building. Others were flying. Some were in a tree a little further down. There seemed to be at least 2 distinct groups of crows. During my observations, the crows expressed different vocals. There was the typical CAW sound. There was a CAW that seemed to be the same in length, but higher in pitch. There was a CAW sound that was expressed more quickly and higher in pitch. Sometimes the typical CAWs were expressed together in unison or near unison. I don't know how many birds were talking. It sounded like a lot, but a particular bird could have been expressing different types of vocals. One bird expressed a sound that I was not familiar with. It seemed to be annoyed with another bird.

There was so much noise, I looked around for a hawk or an owl. I did not see one. It sounded like they were in alarm. However, it would be a mistake for me to read too much into their vocals. After all, the typical sound of crows is naturally very harsh. The vocalizations went on and on. I don't think I've ever heard a more complex conversation among crows before. With no predators around or even birds that resembled predators, I had no idea what they were talking about, but it seemed to be very important.