Conditions: partly sunny, wind NW at 14MPH, gusts 30MPH, temp at 42F; sunset time 4:15PM

Out on solo Crow patrol with first stop along the Merrimack River on east side of Rt. 495 Bridge to watch Crows staging downriver. The Crows were working their way upriver in advance of sunset time and leapfrogging along tree tops in growing numbers. It always quite a sight to observe a swarm of Crows moving towards the final staging area. This image was captured about 8 minutes before sunset time.

From the banks of the Merrimack River, then moved on for a quick look from the top of the McGovern parking garage with no staging Crows in sight. Quickly moved from there to the middle of the Casey Bridge for spectacular views of staging Crows and the start of streaming action into the overnight roost. Overall the numbers are growing, and we are now well over 10,000 Crows in the overnight roost. As always, this is a conservative estimate. At the south end of the Casey Bridge, on the east side, the Crows were repeatedly nibbling on crabapple berries and making the most of it. They forage and feed during the day, and never overlook a treat before heading to the roost! This image was captured about 11 minutes after sunset time.

From the middle of the Casey Bridge, and looking SE, to the opening between the New Balance building and the Smart Cube storage facility, was Able to see back through to the McGovern parking garage as swarms of Crows were streaming in and landing on the ground and rooftops around the extended truck deport area. This image was captured about 13 minutes after sunset time.

As the dark of night became more pronounced, the Crows were seen perched in trees behind CubeSmart, to the west of normal roost location by the New Balance building. Is this the start of a movement away from the New Balance roost area and towards a new location for this winter. Last winter, the Crows departed the New Balance roost area earlier in November, and after many restless night in ever changing locations, they settled into a new roost location next to the Rt. 495 Bridge. This image was captured almost 30 after sunset time.

Just before heading off for the night, while some lingering light was seen to the west, a large number of Crows that had been staging on the west side of the Casey Bridge, rose up in flight towards the over night roost. This final image was captured about 31 mins after sunset time!

Another amazing night!

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

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