Flight bursts after dark!

Dec. 2, 2024 under mostly cloudy, wind NW 7MPH, temp 35F; sunset time 4:11PM.

Out on Crow Patrol with first stop at final staging areas along the Merrimack River and north of the hospital. A large concentration of loud and boisterous Crows were seen at the far end of Island Street, near the entry path to the old Ferrous Site – one of the last redeveloped sites in the Gateway District. The 7.5‐acre site, located at the confluence of the North Canal and the Spicket and Merrimack rivers, for over 100 years hosted a foundry where machines and parts were forged to support the city’s textile and paper mills. When the foundry closed in the 1990s, it left behind multiple buildings and a large sprawling mound of spent burnt orange sand castings. An investment of about $164,000 in the city’s EPA Brownfields funding paid for the assessment of the Ferrous Site, leading to its cleanup and redevelopment and serving as a catalyst to the overall revitalization of the Lawrence Gateway. Image below at 25 minutes post sunset time.

After noticing NNW flight movements beyond Lawrence General Hospital, many incoming flight streams were observed, but with Crows descending in altitude and landing just NNW of the hospital. Image below at 37 minutes post sunset time.

As the build up of arriving Crows in roost tree tops grew larger with lively vocalizations, the expanding buildup was matched with numerous flight bursts. Image below captured at 41 minutes post sunset time.

A bit later, went by the back of the hospital parking lots and found smaller groupings of roosting Crows almost all quieted down for the night. Image below at 79 minutes post sunset time.

After that found a third grouping of roosting Crows in trees along the Merrimack River by the Riverwalk complex. This roosting group has been in place for the last number of weeks in a line of River Birch and Silver Maple trees. The Crows are perched in a line that runs about 250 yards and covers just over an acre of land area. Image below at 95 minutes post sunset time.

Had a chance to capture an infrared image of roosting Crows along this tree line by the Merrimack River. For this image, using external infrared lighting, all manual settings were required with a 4 second exposure time providing a nice contrast. Image below at almost 2 hours post sunset time. Another spectacular outing!

For the 2023 Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) for the Andover Circle (MAAN), this separate Crow Count was 11,600 total Crows, including American Crows and Fish Crows. In 2022, the CBC Andover Circle Crow Count was 13,750. 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 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.

The Canon R6 mirrorless camera excels in low-light photography due to its 20.1 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.

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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