Crows return to Midwest after West Nile die-off  Saturday, March
2, 2013 | 6:00 a.m. CST  ST. LOUIS — The crows are back.  The
big black birds, known for their evil looks and loud cawing,
were devastated by West Nile virus a dozen years ago, and the
population remained depressed until late in the part decade.
Now, they seem to be beating the bug.  The Audubon Society's
Christmas Bird Count indicated that the bird population might be
back to pre-virus levels in Illinois and recovering part of its
numbers in Missouri.  "They're almost back to where they were 10
years ago," said Robert Russell, a biologist at the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, referring to birds in the Midwest. "Our
crows are pretty much back to normal."  Whether that's good or
bad depends on how one views a bird blamed for eating farmers'
corn, known for munching on roadkill and cursed for their
cacophonous racket of cawing that wakes people up.  "I like them
in the distance, but I don't like them on Saturday morning,"
Russell said.  Among al