Yesterday, January 23rd, Bob and I went on Crow Patrol late. At sunset (4:33 pm), we drove from our house on local roads driving by the crowless O’Connell South Common (not Park) on Market St., right on So. Common and left onto Merrimack St. No crows on So. Canal St. and as we drove further west we saw crows moving west along the river. We crossed over Parker St (the Casey Bridge St.) and got to Rt. 28 So. Broadway St. and turned right to go over the great Stone Dam which was built between 1845 and 1848 on the site of Bodwell's Falls on the Merrimack River in what became Lawrence, MA. The massive stone dam holds the massive Merrimack River back so that it just runs over its top. In cold periods like the end of December last year and the past few days this month, the river freezes above the dam.
We turned into the first driveway on the left just over the bridge and there they were – Bob estimated 10,000 crows sitting on the ice. Quite a sight! They were much closer to the southern shore but there they were - black blobs on a white carpet. The tops of the tall, mature trees (oaks and red maples) on the southern shore – many around the Lawrence Experiment Station were filled with crows and more kept pouring in from the west. It was now about 4:45 pm. On a cloudy night with 40° temperatures and 11 mph WSW winds. This was a night when bincos were essential due the distance and decreasing light. Fortunately, the bright lights of the Experiment Station parking lot and some street lights let us keep better track of things.
Well, for almost the next two hours we sat there watching the movements of the crows leaving to retrace our steps back to Merrimack St. twice. The birds in the trees proved to be very restive. Suddenly, they would rise up and pour over the bridge apparently heading towards their roost near New Balance. Twice when their numbers appeared serious to us ,we went back over the bridge and onto Merrimack St. only to find swirly flocks – once they settled down on the old paper mill roof, once they went east only to swirl back and return to the trees on the west of the bridge. Some birds left the ice and must have joined those in the trees. Based on our prior experience they should have gone into the roost about 5- 5:15 PM but now well after 6 PM some were still on the ice, others on the snow piles in the Experiment Station parking lot and the rest in the trees above.
Did some spend the night on the ice? Did others stay in the tall trees to the south? We will never know but what we do know is that the crows are on the move and who knows what today will bring. I know it seems strange to tell folks that you have spent so many nights watching crows in Lawrence but here we are and how else will we know what happens next if we don’t return??
We will be out there this afternoon but I suspect so will the rain. Will the river still be frozen above the dam? Why not join us tomorrow? It promises to be sunny. Let me know if you are coming please.
And why have they suddenly changed their pattern? Will we ever figure out why?
Quizzically,
Dana
North Andover, MA
0 comments:
Post a Comment