Auburn hosts its first Crow Cawcus in celebration of annual crow roosting Artist and vendor Maureen McEver poses with her handmade crow wings. Vendors and attendees of Auburn’s first Crow Cawcus on Saturday, Feb. 21, dressed up in crow and supernatural themed costumes. (Ella Chan/Ella Chan)
Auburn hosted its first ever “Crow Cawcus” last weekend (Feb. 20-21) to celebrate the crows roosting across the city every winter migration.
The crow celebration featured local vendors and artists in downtown Auburn, supernatural investigations about different historical sites and crow mask-making at the Schweinfurth Art Center.
Jesse Kline, one of the event’s main organizers, saw the crow convention as a good way to bring the community together to celebrate its copious corvids.
“It’s a nice way we can spotlight artists and local businesses, but tying it all under one theme,” said Kline, executive director of the Auburn Downtown Partnership. “Auburn has a humongous crow population, to the point where we may have more crows than people.”
At its peak, Auburn’s crow roosting population reached close to 75,000 about 25 years ago, but West Nile virus, coupled with hazing efforts, cut that number in half in more recent years.
Today, Dr. Kevin J. McGowan of the Cornell Ornithology Lab said Auburn’s number is closer to 40,000 roosting crows.
The phenomenon resulted in the city’s unique social culture and reputation as the “City of Crows.”
crows Crows congregate at Fort Hill Cemetery in Auburn. (Gary Walts) (Gary Walts) 
Auburn hosts its first Crow Cawcus in celebration of annual crow roosting Elizabeth Hamilton decorates her crow theatre mask with gems during a mask-making art activity in the Schweinfurth Art Center for Auburn’s first Crow Cawcus on Saturday, Feb 21. (Ella Chan/Ella Chan) 
Auburn hosts its first Crow Cawcus in celebration of annual crow roosting Attendees make crow masks at a mask-making activity in the Schweinfurth Art Center during Auburn’s first Crow Cawcus on Saturday, Feb. 21. (Ella Chan/Ella Chan)
Auburn’s Crow Cawcus had activities for everyone last weekend, ranging from the scientific to the supernatural, including an ornithology lecture from McGowan, a crow wildlife photography workshop, an open mic for crow poetry and tarot readings in the Haunted Chase Manor.
“It was packed,” Kline said about the ornithology lecture. “Like, literally couldn’t even move in there.”
With a downtown crow market, crow-themed food and live music over two days, the event drew a large crowd of local participants, and attendees from Buffalo, N.Y. and Colorado.
Maria Welych, marketing director at the Schweinfurth Art Center, said she knew about the crows before she knew about the city itself.
“When I started working here, I really didn’t know Auburn all that well, but I knew about the crows,” Welych said. “When the idea came of having a ‘crow cawcus,’ I thought, ‘Oh my God, this is a great idea.’”
Auburn hosts its first Crow Cawcus in celebration of annual crow roosting Ally Berry and James Belton wear their newly-made crow masks in the Schweinfurth Art Center during Auburn’s first Crow Cawcus on Saturday, Feb 21. (Ella Chan/Ella Chan) 
Auburn hosts its first Crow Cawcus in celebration of annual crow roosting Wall art in downtown Auburn features crows, a bird which roosts in the city annually during the winter. (Ella Chan/Ella Chan)
Auburn has a long history of both celebrating and rejecting the annual crow roosting.
While many residents see the crows as a unique part of Auburn’s culture, others see them as a pest.
In the early 2000s, hunters held informal crow shoots every winter, and the hunt was officialized in 2004, when over 150 hunters participated in a contest sponsored by a local bar, killing 340 crows in one weekend. At the time, residents protested the hunt, viewing it as inhumane and a stain upon the city’s reputation.
While crows are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, it is still legal in the state for licensed hunters to hunt them on certain days of the week from September through March.
Auburn, however, has local ordinances which prohibit the use of firearms and other weapons unless officially authorized.
The first Crow Cawcus signified a shift in local crow sentiments, showing the community embracing the annual phenomenon.
“We’re pleasantly surprised by the response to this event and the turnout,” Kline said over the weekend. “We’re very encouraged.”
The city’s second Crow Cawcus has been set for Saturday, Feb. 20, 2027.
Steve Featherstone contributed to this report.
Auburn hosts its first Crow Cawcus in celebration of annual crow roosting Auburn’s first Crow Cawcus on Saturday, Feb. 21, featured different local food and drink businesses. (Ella Chan/Ella Chan) 
Auburn hosts its first Crow Cawcus in celebration of annual crow roosting Attendees make crow theatre masks at a mask-making art activity in the Schweinfurth Art Center during Auburn’s first Crow Cawcus on Saturday, Feb 21. (Ella Chan/Ella Chan)