Conditions: clear skies, wind W at 6MPH, temp at 29F; sunset time 5:24PM

Out on Crow Patrol after being away for a week. The Crows are still roosting in the same area on the east side of the Rt. 495 Bridge in Lawrence. Upon arrival before sunset time, a steady flight stream of Crows were observed coming in from the west and gathering downriver east of the Incinerator Road baseball fields. The numbers grew in size and then massive flight waves towards the roost got started about 20 minutes after sunset time.

The incoming Crows assembled in trees on both sides of the Merrimack River about 300-500 yards away from the roost, and seemed to be hesitant to move closer as it got darker. In the image below, a large group of Crows…

Heard some noises and yelling, and then noticed a small group of people, including children, on the north side of the river bank, with a small outdoor fire going. In response, the Crows circled many times, but did not advance further to the roost.

Instead, they started to gather in trees slightly NE of the roost, and located within the Rt. 495 on ramp area, along with another smaller grouping in trees just downriver from the roost. It was fascinating to watch the Crows scout out the intruders and then adjust as needed! Another spectacular Crow show!

Check out the newly launched Crow Patrol Podcast: wintercrowroost.com/podcast/

Photo gear used for this outing:

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 1DX MK II with Canon EF Telephoto Zoom 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM

ATN BinoX 4K 4-16x Day and Night Smart HD Binoculars with photo/video

SiOnyx Aurora Pro Digital Color Night Vision Optics

Follow us on Instagram: wintercrowroost

Follow us on YouTube: birdsoftheair1

Blog post and photos by Craig Gibson, 2020 Crow Patrol, Lawrence, MA