Another random neighborhood shot

This evening something happened that has me slightly on edge. 

I know I have mentioned before that Portland has thousands of crows. The population has grown since I moved here in 2008, and in 2021 the number was estimated to be nearly 14,000. Until today, one thing was sure: they fly north in the morning and south around sunset. For many years they've been roosting at night in downtown Portland, which is directly south of where I live. My grandkids love being here at sunset to watch them. 

But tonight, for the first time ever, they flew west at sunset. Hundreds and hundreds of them, like a river, flew west. It could be there were raptors between me and downtown. But I was shocked to see this sudden change in pattern. I wonder what they know that we don't know.

Update: It was raptors. The city has hired several falconers and their falcons to keep the crows away from downtown, where their excretions cause trouble for business people. It's working, at the moment.