The Merrimack River Watershed Council is hosting two free “Crow Show” programs in February to delve into the secrets of this dramatic natural phenomenon.

On Feb. 6 at 7 p.m., local expert Craig Gibson presented a virtual Zoom slideshow to well over 125 attendees explaining the Lawrence crow roost, delving into crow behavior and the likely explanations for why almost 15,000 crows return up to 50 miles nightly to gather together.  Craig presented information on other winter crow roosts he has researched and visited in North America, some of which are many times larger than the Lawrence roost.

On Feb. 20 at 5 p.m., Gibson will lead a live visit to the crow roost, timed to take place just as thousands of crows begin to arrive and settle into the trees. The location will likely be in the vicinity of Prospect Hill/Lawrence General Hospital. However, the roost location occasionally changes for reasons that only the crows know for sure, and participants will be updated on the roost location on the day of the event.

Both events are free, however registration is required. To see more events, visit Merrimack.org/events