Arriving at the roost!

Nov. 23, 2022 under late afternoon overcast skies with a few breaks, wind W 7MPH, temp at 46F; sunset time at 4:15PM

Out on Crow Patrol scouting for final staging locations north of hospital and around Prospect Hill. Initial group of Crows arrived in roost area and biggest buildup was at the very SW corner of Prospect Hill in the trees on the hillside above the 3-way intersection. Unlike prior nights it was a very orderly arrival and settling in with Crows spread out along many tree tops. Vocalizations were very active until about 45 minutes after sunset time. The overall numbers seemed off a bit.

Before heading home, made a quick check at the New Balance roost location and discovered large numbers in the trees from the Duck Bridge to the west end of the New Balance building.

For the 2021 Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) for the Andover Circle, this separate Crow Count was 12,250 Crows. In 2020, the CBC Andover Circle Crow Count was 15,200. Many thanks to Donna Cooper who coordinates and compiles the Andover Circle each year!

Note on counts/estimates: we are now using improved methods for counting the large number of Crows while streaming, staging, and in the roost. For all images, we use both a modified open source counting software program, as well as a hand count approach to carefully document our observations and to significantly increase reliability and accuracy of the presented numbers. 

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

Canon EOS R6 Mirrorless with Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8 L IS USM Lens

Sony AX700 4K HDR Camcorder

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Blog post and photos by Craig Gibson, 2022 Crow Patrol