RE: [Maine-birds] Crow roost on the Kennebec

Lise and Steve,
We (my husband Bob Fox, Craig Gibson our photographer extraordinaire and now dear friend and I have formed the "crow patrol". We have spent nearly 200 nights this winter and last watching the winter crow roost in Lawrence MA.
You can read about our exploits on our blog www.wintercrowroost.org

We, too, have observed crows "staging" on the frozen Merrimack River both winters - thousands of them. We believe they will finally "roost" in nearby trees. One night to confirm this we had them on the ice at 6 PM and then returned at 8 PM to find them in the tops of trees nearby. Crows like to gather an hour before sunset and go into their roost a half hour after sunset when they can do this more secretly.

Ours start to come into the staging and roosting area in October - some local and then as the season progresses many from the far north from Canada. They stage and roost around the city until the river freezes above the old stone dam. Last year it was in late December and this year it began on the 23rd of January.

I have found a report of this from a harbor on Cape Breton in Nova Scotia.

Why they do this I am not sure but I do know it is spectacular.

We would love to see your pictures and to learn more about your staging and roosting. Please keep notes each time on temperature, wind direction and speed, time of sunset and time you are observing them and send it to us. Also, if you can estimate how many you have, that would be wonderful. What happens when the river melts?

Have fun but remember they are able to hypnotize you to come back over and over!!!

-----Original Message-----
From: maine-birds@googlegroups.com <maine-birds@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Lise and Steve
Sent: Saturday, February 16, 2019 5:17 PM
To: Maine birds <maine-birds@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [Maine-birds] Crow roost on the Kennebec

Does anyone know the story behind the crows roosting on the ice on the Kennebec River behind Water Street in Augusta? Literally thousands of birds streaming in well after dark (an hour plus) and roosting tightly on the ice, I have a picture if I can figure out how to post it. Apparently they've been doing this for at least the past several days if not longer.



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