Winter Crow Roost: crows and sunset sky!
Conditions: clear skies, setting sun, wind W at 13MPH, gusts 23MPH, temp at 19F/wind chill 6F: sunset time 4:12PM at 238˚ WSW. Out on solo Crow Patrol with first stop at end of Incinerator Road in Lawrence, MA. Large grouping of Crows on and around the baseball field and perched in surrounding trees minutes after sunset time. Many [...]
Crow Patrol: a view from under the roost!
Conditions: partly cloudy, wind W 7MPH, 33F: sunset time 4:12PM Out on solo Crow Patrol with only stop at end of Incinerator Rd. in Lawrence. In an effort to mix things up, made my way to the east end of the actual overnight roost area. The Crows were heard, in the distance about 1/4 mile away, as they [...]
Winter Crow Roost: snow, sleet, rain!
Conditions: heavy overcast skies, light snow, sleet, fog; wind W at 10MPH, temp at 29F with wind chill making it feel like 20F! Out on solo Crow Patrol with initial observations along Sutton St. in North Andover. Crows perched in trees along both sides of street from Charles St. up to main entry to Lawrence Municipal Airport. Then, watched [...]
Winter Crow Roost: total chaos into calm!
Conditions: clear skies, wind W 3MPH, 31F, sunset time 4:10PM Out on solo Crow Patrol with first stop along south side of Merrimack River just east of Rt. 495 Bridge. The Crows began appearing and perching in tall trees downriver, on the south side as part of final staging process. They had likely been gathering and staging around the [...]
Crow Patrol: massive swarms after sunset time
Conditions: overcast with light rain, wind SW 8MPH, 54F; sunset time 4:10PM Out on solo Crow patrol just before sunset time. First stop was along the south side of Merrimack River, along the shore line, on the east side of the Rt. 495 Bridge. Initially, Crows seen in small numbers going by in flight. At 4:18PM, observed massive numbers [...]
Crow Patrol: dispersal before sunrise!
Conditions: clear skies, wind NW 3MPH, 21F: sunrise time 7:01AM Out on solo Crow Patrol almost two hours before sunrise, and to watch dispersal take place through the three stages of twilight: astronomical, nautical, and civil. Upon arrival the Crows were already noisy and vocalizations increased considerably during observation period. The Crows were tightly packed in together, yet again, [...]
Crow Patrol: more Incinerator Road!
Conditions: overcast skies, wind S 5MPH, 34F; sunset time 4:11PM Out on solo Crow Patrol with a start just after 4PM. Initially Crows were seen flying east over the Rt. 495 Bridge and downriver. Then they started to perch in the tall trees on both sides of the Merrimack River, with loud vocalizations. They were also seen in heavy [...]
Crow Patrol: huge staging around Incinerator Road!
Conditions: overcast skies, wind W 13MPH, gusts 20MPH, 39F; sunset time 4:11PM Out os solo Crow Patrol with first stop around the baseball field on Incinerator Road in Lawrence, MA. Large numbers of Crows were seen staging around the extended ball field complex, and atop trees on both sides of Merrimack River. The vocalizing was loud and intense at [...]
Crow Patrol: clear, cool, and calm!
Conditions: clear skies, wind NW 8MPH, with gusts up to 20MPH, 32F (wind chill 25F); sunset time 4:11PM. According to the National Weather Service, here is a sampling of unofficial snow observations for Essex County for this three day snow storm from Dec 1st-3rd 2019: Methuen 17"; Andover 16.3"; Haverhill 16.0"; North Andover 15.0" Quite a start to the [...]
Spicket River Brewery: new Crow Brew!!
At the recent 2019 "Welcome back Crows" gathering hosted at the Spicket River Brewery, John Cornejo, owner and brewmaster extraordinaire, shared a bit more about the launch of his latest new brew, known as "CROWPACALYPSE!" When asked about this new beer label, John mentioned that it was a rendition from a Tupac album. Tupac Shakur was an American rapper [...]