The Slice: Expect crows to return for April tee times

Crows might be pretty stylish in sunglasses.

I’m not sure how they would keep them on. But wrap-around shades could be a good look for the big black birds.

This came to mind because I hadn’t seen many of these avian Spokane residents lately. And I had this vision of a couple of Inland Northwest crows hanging out by a pool in Arizona or California.

“What time’s dinner?”

“Whenever you want.”

“OK. Just let me catch a few more rays. What are we having?”

“Roadkill.”

“Yum.”

So, anyway, do crows migrate? I asked a friend at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

She explained that there is not a simple answer. Some do, some don’t. And a few that spend summers north of here might come to our area in the winter.

A colleague of hers theorized that, because of our December weather, there could be fewer crows around here right now than you might see in a more typical Spokane winter.

Maybe that explains why I haven’t been seeing many.

The snow birds that packed up and headed south probably didn’t go to some RV camp outside Tucson or San Diego. But you never know.

“So, Bud, when should we be thinking about flying back up to Spokane?”

“No rush, Marge. The city’s not going anywhere. Any more of those wine coolers in the fridge?”

“But I’m getting tired of canasta and swap meets. I miss Manito Park.”

“Look, they’re still up to their tail feathers in slush back there. Give it a few more weeks.”

“OK. But I don’t want to totally miss out on thawing squirrel carcass season.”

“Don’t worry. You know what they say about Spokane – ‘Near rodents in the street/Near perfect.’  ”

•Slice answers: A number of readers filed corrections after reading Tuesday’s Slice. Apparently, more than one person around here has managed to resist the lure of online social networks. Noted.

But a couple of North Idaho readers, among others, are fans. Mari Walker, a fortysomething working mom, said she doesn’t always have time for long phone calls. “By communicating on Facebook, conversation is short, sweet and to-the-point. It’s also a lot more entertaining.”

And Gayle Schenkenberger said, “I love, love, love Facebook because my kids live in four states and Japan. I feel involved in their daily lives.”

•Today’s Slice question: Who will be mayor of Spokane 25 years from now?