Over the last several months, while engaging in our routine daily walks, my wife and I have seen an ever-increasing number of crows. In flocks of up to 100 birds at a time, they appear to shift daily from block to block. Foraging, or at least that is what it looks like, the birds are scattered over several yards at one time and occasionally at school playgrounds. I do not remember ever seeing the crows in such quantity.

Seeing all those crows raised my curiosity. I had to find out more about the crow. Starting the research, my first surprise was crow's high level of intelligence. It can mimic human speech and even solve uncomplicated puzzles. Some scientists say the crow can even count.

Caring for the young is uniquely handled by both parents in a crow family. And the young remain with their parents from 1 to 6 years of age. The young also help parents raise younger members of the family. There can be up to 15 birds in a family with some five years difference in their ages. If weaned at the age of two weeks, the crow will actually relate to a human as a parent. They are very loyal.

My research also indicated that the birds live from 13 to 20 years. They generally nest in large pine trees and are definitely pests for farmers. They enjoy munching on young grass, particularly the early growth of various grains. Gathering, at times, in large communal roosts involving tens of thousands of feathered friends, they also have a positive impact on the environment by feasting on insects and rodents.

Finally, in my research, I came across the reason why we have not seen many crows over the last number of years in our neighborhoods. The crow has just now discovered the cities and suburban communities of New York. Apparently, the crow is becoming much more sophisticated and has just left the farm as have so many Americans since the early part of this century. That is why we see them all over suburban yards. There have to be great insects in all those manicured lawns and I hope they do not end up ingesting too many lawn chemicals. With all of these crows flying to our neighborhoods, I wonder if farmers can now put away their "scarecrows?" And I wonder if those of us living in the suburbs will soon be overrun by the crow, like we have by the Canadian Geese?

One thing the Canadian Geese and crows have in common is that both are tasty. The blackbird or crow even goes back to English nursery rhymes¬remember four and 20 black birds baked in a pie? New York law permits the hunting of crows. But, short in stature¬20 or so inches¬they make for a small target.

All of us, from time to time, may have had to "eat crow." As best as I can determine, the saying comes from the farm where there has always been a battle against crows. And after the battle, eating some tasty crow has an obvious message that is still used when we try to explain the acceptance of something previously resisted.

Finally, I plan not to crow too much about this column!