"And any sentence that sees in it an opportunity for greatness must, like a sentence that wants to make a big deal out of the presence of 'art' in the word 'earth,' be punished with an execution.''

And an essay, perhaps one just like this awesomeness, genocided?

Two million crows in a bunch certainly challenges the imagination since they 'd have to congregate from a very large area,

On a different note, there are people like Cliff Mass who don't stop claiming media hypes climate change and there is reality: "Carbon Omission: How the U.S. Media Underreported Climate Change in 2017"

have you ever tried crow bathing

I like the visual that Sandi put forth - its fun, quirky and has a bit of a double-entendre for those of us who have unwittingly come too close to the wrong tree during their nesting season. I mean, its not Milton, Bacon, Poe, Parker, or Frost, but then again its not a poem but an article on a study of indigenous birds of the area and our critic really isn’t writing for The New York Times. If anything, our critic-columnist sounds a bit jealous that he isnt working for a publication of notoriety. I would have preferred to see his take on the work being done by the UW or how the Raven and Crow have come to be considered a Seattle icon. But that would mean having to put a “positive spin” on the subject which is a rarity anymore with what is clearly becoming an echo chamber of bitterness.

Dude, the problems with science writing never come down to a well turned phrase. It was an article that took a bird that most consider to be a more aggressive and annoying pigeon and made it mysterious.

It does look a mite Hitchcockian.......

The QA greenbelt along 15th Ave has the same deal, but smaller in scope. I used to leave just above the belt and right on time, every summer night, thousands of crows would swoop in and spend the night. They weren't all that noisy.

So picky. "Murder" is a fun word for a group of crows. This is a reporting piece. It's not a work of art. Some readers may not have even heard that term, and the reporter is sharing it. What do expect from the Seattle Times? And even if birders and scientists may not use the word, it's still an amusing one, for those of us who can still be amused, without pouncing on those slightly less cultured. Why so high on your horse, Mr Mudede? Oh, sorry, a clichè! Kill me, I am such a bad writer. And don't you have something more important to write about? Crows, perhaps?