Stunning ground & aerial views!

Clear skies, wind NW 5MPH, 31F; sunset time 4:11PM

Out on Crow Patrol for 2024 National Audubon Christmas Bird Count as the designated official counter for the Winter Crow Roost in Lawrence thanks to Donna Cooper leading the charge for the Andover Circle. Made a number of initial scouting stops looking for final staging areas. Final staging area was north of the hospital with Crows arriving much later than normal, likely due to very clear skies and low wind conditions. About 40 minutes after sunset time, much later than normal, a massive stream of Crows passed over in flight in southbound direction with only 1,000+ remaining in trees along the Spicket River behind the hospital. Image at 43 minutes after sunset time.

This was a major location shift from a prior night and it took some time to locate the new roost. Finally discovered big numbers in a former roost location in the trees along the Merrimack River by Rt. 495. This made for three locations on the night of the annual Christmas Bird Count, a new first for the Lawrence roost. Image at 1 hr and 40 minutes post sunset time.

Moved on to make a further count near the Duck Bridge and found big numbers here also in the trees, on wires, and on the ground in the New Balance parking lot. Over the years, we have observed the Crows on the ground in this location. They tend to like the bright lighting and close proximity to the Crows in the nearby trees along the river. Image at 2hrs 13 minutes post sunset time.

Had final looks from the Duck Bridge at roosting Crows in the Silver Maple and River Birch trees stretching downriver towards the Riverwalk parking lot rooftop football field. Now the numbers are growing at this location and may continue to increase. Image at 2hrs 15 minutes post sunset time.

Also captured nice images with infrared optics. The infrared imaging really offers a clearer sense of just how dense the Crows pack it in once they get settled for the night. Another dazzling outing with the Crows in three separate roost locations!

For the 2024 Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) for the Andover Circle (MAAN), this separate Crow Count was 12,550 total Crows, including American Crows and Fish Crows. In 2023, the CBC Andover Circle Crow Count was 11,600. Many thanks to Donna Cooper who coordinates and compiles the CBC Andover Circle each year! Craig is the designated sector leader for the roost count.

The counts and methods meticulously developed by the Crow Patrol for the Lawrence roost were reviewed and approved in January 2021. This took place after a full review of all field notes and images, followed by group discussion with the New England Regional Editor for the CBC, full support from the National Director of the CBC, and Donna Cooper as the local CBC Count Circle compiler. After this comprehensive review process, the final count for American Crows for the 2020 CBC was set at 15,200. This final count reflected the detailed field reports and imaging provided by members of the Crow Patrol. This count number was also in total alignment with a long list of experienced local birders who have made prior counting visits to this winter roost in Lawrence, MA!

As a result of meaningful input from the National CBC Director, we are now using improved methods for counting the large number of Crows while streaming, staging, and settling into the roost. For all images, we use both a modified open source counting software program, as well as a direct block count approach, while standing outside (not sitting in a car after dark) around the roost, to carefully document our observations and to significantly increase reliability and accuracy of our well documented numbers. Please refer to our newly published Winter Crow Roost counting guide PDF on the main page.

The Canon R6 mirrorless cameras excels in low-light photography due to its 24 MP sensor with fewer and larger pixels, allowing for better light collection and signal-to-noise ratio. It offers high dynamic range for detail retention, low digital noise even at high ISOs (up to 102,400), effective image stabilization for sharper images, and advanced image processing to minimize noise in dark areas.

The Canon mirrorless cameras with the RF 50mm f/1.2 lens and the RF 28-70mm F2 lens excel in low-light conditions, blending versatile focal lengths with an ultra-wide aperture. Both focal lengths work extremely well in very low light conditions, the f/1.2  and f2 aperture settings ensure exceptional performance in low light conditions, offering stunning clear, and aesthetically pleasing images, making them ideal for the challenging very low light conditions around any overnight winter crow roost.

Remember to check out the latest Crow Patrol Podcast with John Macone (Merrimack River Watershed Council): wintercrowroost.com/podcast/

Photo gear used for most outings:

Canon EOS 80D with Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS 

Canon EOS 80D with Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS (Infrared)     

Canon EOS R6 Mirrorless with Canon RF 28-70 f/2 L IS USM 

Canon EOS R6 II Mirrorless with Canon RF 50 f/1.2 L USM 

Sony AX700 4K HDR Camcorder

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