It does sound like an Agatha Christie title, doesn't it. But we were in the kitchen last night when we heard a raucous sound coming from outside (thankfully). Mr. C. went to the patio doors and then called me over to see the Hitchcock-reminiscent sight in the box elder tree south of the house. Birds - crows - yes, a murder, in fact, - accumulating from the southeast to rest for a bit in our tree.
I wonder if we would think they deserve the term, 'murder' if we hadn't seen the Hitchcock movie, The Birds. Flock sounds so much nicer, doesn't it.
So, it's a 'murder of crows,'
a 'gaggle of geese,
a 'clowder of cats,'
an 'army of ants,'
and so forth.
There are some pretty odd group names out there for our beloved animals. Can you think of any?
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Judy, I had not heard that phrase before, so didn't know what you were talking about....great shot of the bird gathering.
ReplyDeletePretty sunset! I have heard of the murder of crows and some of the other group names.. But, a clowder of cats is new to me.. Great post and photos, Judy! Thank you for linking up and sharing your critter post.. Have a happy weekend!
ReplyDeleteHi Judy I was never more frightened by a film than when I saw 'The Birds'. A horde, hover, muster, parcel and a storytelling are also listed as collective nouns for Crows. The most famous of them all is "a murder. I use the one 'murder' and never really knew the others but now that I have, 'storytelling' would be a good one for the Crows, because they always seem to be taking to one another, perhaps even telling one another stories. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteI had heard of a murder of crows and gaggle of geese but not the clowder of cats. Those old crows can certainly make lots of noise. Lovely photos.
ReplyDeletelove that title, caught me in right away. i have heard all of these, including the murder but not the clowder of cats.
ReplyDeleteall i can think of is herd and that fits cattle, horses and deer i think.. herd of buffalow? the birds scared me silly
About 10 years ago my town was overrun with crows - thousands of them came into town at night to roost, so many that the trees looked like they had leaves. When the large dark clouds of birds descended and ascended it was amazing to watch - a ballet of sorts. It did indeed remind me of The Birds.
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard that phrase, thanks. Great post.
ReplyDeleteI'm drawing a blank right now but this was a favorite thing of my Dad's...the names for flocks and groups of animals. I'll have to think on it today. Love the beautiful colors of the sky! Enjoy your day! Hugs!
ReplyDeleteOhhhh I think of that movie every time I see a HUGE flock of birds:) Beautiful pictures! Enjoy your day dear friend, HUGS!
ReplyDeleteCrows can look scary in a large group :) Very brave of you taking these pictures. :) Great Photos!
ReplyDeletea bale of turtles is always odd to me. :)
ReplyDeleteYour third photo down needs to be reposted at Halloween! It's great! Eerie in its silence and stark contrast!
ReplyDeleteAnd now you have me wondering if I have a "clowder" of cats! We have six. I'd never heard of that term. Interesting!
A pride of Lions.
ReplyDeleteI had never seen the word clowder of cats. We are quite used to a murder of crows in our area. They can really fill the sky and the trees around here. Hope your weekend is going well...
Wow!!!!! I always think it is so funny a murder of crows.Blessings Francine.
ReplyDeleteOh for sure flock does sound so much nicer, but I too have seen and remember "The Birds" movie! Enjoy your frosty weekend and beware the caw! caW!
ReplyDeleteI find crows fascinating but I wouldn't want to meet up with too many of them. I once put food down for some feral cats when a group of them (20 or so) landed close by and much like the scene from the movie Hocus Pocus where the witches move together towards an unsuspecting victim, they did the same towards the cats. I was shocked. I ran towards them screaming to give the cats a chance to run. I've had a new respect for them ever since. Deb
ReplyDeleteJudy I am terrified of crows (and ravens), so a 'Murder' does fit them very well :-) Have a wonderful weekend xx
ReplyDeleteJust for a moment I really thought something gruesome had happened at your home, then thought surely not:-) Lovely photos and I don't think I have ever heard of a murder of crows before!
ReplyDeleteAn Ostentation of Peacocks!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giggles..that is one sound I do not like..crows croaking, LOLOL. That's what my son says, LOLOL. Blessings
ReplyDeleteI had no idea abut the cat name! I wonder if that is even a word? A murder of crows, how do you think they really got that name? I will look it up and let you know if I find anything out.
ReplyDeleteThere have been a lot of crows and starlings around lately. Noisy, annoying birds.
ReplyDeleteJust the other day on NPR they were talking about crows in Sunnyside, WA, which is east of the mountains. Apparently 10,000 crows fly in every night to roost! I can't even imagine, but it must be like a scene from The Birds, for sure. I'd neard of a murder of crows before but had forgotten about the clowder of cats. Wonder where that came from? Stay warm!
ReplyDeleteA group o whales is commonly called a pod...a group of Boston Terriers is called trouble! LOL!
ReplyDeleteHaha, yes I've heard of these group names - although some of them are baffling.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite, that I did a couple of gardening columns on is 'a knot of toads'. Too funny!
Such a great title for your post! These collective nouns are so interesting - one that I like is an exaltation of larks. So poetic.
ReplyDeleteYour crows look like they are having a great time in the tree.
Judy, I like crows so much more than starlings. I like your sunsets photos. Blessings, xoxo,Susie
ReplyDeleteI learned some new things today. The murder I had never heard of before and I hated "The Birds" when I was a kid. Scared me for a long time.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea, but I did learn something!
ReplyDeleteHaven't heard that before but I was looking into your tree photo for some sort of bird killing or other poor victim. :-)
ReplyDeleteFunny we had a murder of crows here this afternoon too. My did they make noise!
Hahahahahahaha! You're such a riot!
ReplyDeleteFor several years we have been fighting a swarm of turkey vultures. For four months at least 200 of the nasties sit in our pine trees. This year our neighbor never gave up shooting flare guns at them every night. I am still shocked that they left. You wouldn't believe the mess they make on our cars. You couldn't even see out the windows. We have crows when the buzzads are gone. Much better. With the buzzards you should hear the noise they all make when you scare them.
ReplyDeleteThe strangest thing happened when I did the verification on here. Instead of a number a recording came up. I had the sound down but it was very bazarre. I left and came back and it didn't happen. Just be aware. It
ReplyDeleteWas scary.
Your pictures are wonderful!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like that number of crows could be "murder" on your car and windows. I had never heard of a knot of toads, very descriptive.
ReplyDeleteA group of owls is called a parliament of owls. I like visualizing that!
I must confess that I hesitated about clicking on your blog...I think I was scared :) haha
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Judy, and wonderful photos. Hugs!
That's an interesting theory :) murder of the crows. I love the pictures
ReplyDeletehave a lovely Sunday
Hello Judy! came to your lovely blog via Susie at Persimmon Moon Cottage ~ I had to meet you once I read how you love cats and dogs! I too adore them, but actually we are 'between pets' at the moment,havng lost our lovely German Shepherd boy and two cats all quite close together (they are in my sidebar f you wanted to see them). It won't be long though!
ReplyDeleteI live near Norwich, Norfolk in the East of England. Its pretty flat here, but rural and full of farmland.
Norwich is a beautiful medieval city.
It is so fun to find new friends across blog land!
Blessings,
Alex
Oh, how about a 'parliament of owls'..? : )
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ReplyDeleteThe reference to Hitchcocks, The Birds . . . still gives me the "willies!" I would have been reacting to the trees filled with crows . . . We had a bunch of turkey's in the trees the other day and that certainly caused my nerves to come unraveled! What would that be, a "cackle of turkey's?"
ReplyDeleteAgatha-like for sure. And I think of The Birds every time I see the black birds congregating.
ReplyDeleteA fun post, and I can almost hear the noise those birds are making! You always describe sites and sounds so well!
ReplyDeleteCollective nouns are often amusing - I'd quite forgotten about a murder of crows. Guess the classic is 'a pride of lions'. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteGood Morning Judy! Love this post! Very Hitchcock or Agatha - ish...My kids and I researched the animal grouping names at one point. A few odd ones I remember:
ReplyDeleteCongregation of Alligators
Huddle of Penguins
Cloud of Grasshoppers
Crash of Rhinos
Prickle of Porcupines
They are such fun! Hope you have a great day! :)
Crows are so noisy! We always know when there is a hawk or owl in the park, the crows tell us! They won't leave the bigger birds alone.
ReplyDeleteNow that is one alarming title! I was relieved to see it was about a murder of crows. I'd never heard that a group of cats was called a clowder. Very interesting!
ReplyDeleteI love the photo with all the black crows in the tree. It's magical! xoxo
ReplyDelete