Crow Patrol Podcast: Episode 2 – Interview with Prof. Kevin McGowan

EPISODE SUMMARY

Kevin shares how he first got started in birding; his research on the biology of American Crows; an overview of his new Bird Academy course on Crows about the remarkable lives of American Crows – from their complex social lives to their impressive problem-solving skills; his background banding and tracking Crows; his first memories of a winter Crow roost; memorable roost experiences; and the various strategies for counting Crows around a roost.

CONTRIBUTORS

KEVIN MCGOWAN, Ph.D., is an extension associate at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Co-editor of the second New York State Breeding Bird Atlas, past President and former webmaster for the New York State Ornithological Association, and a FORMER member of the New York State Avian Records Committee (NYSARC). McGowan is an international authority on the crow family, and has done extensive research in social development, family structure, and West Nile virus transmission within avian populations, especially the American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos). His main research concerns reproductive and social behavior of American Crows, as well as Fish Crows (Corvus ossifragus) in the Ithaca area.

Dr. McGowan received a B.S. in Zoology from the Ohio State University in 1977, and an M.S. in Zoology from Ohio State in 1980 for a thesis on small mammals and their use of arthropods on reclaimed strip-mines. He then went to the University of South Florida where he received a Ph.D. in Biology in 1987 for work on the social development of young Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens). McGowan was one of the creators of the All About Birds website and currently creates online courses about birds at Bird Academy.

CRAIG GIBSON is a bird conservation photographer. His current focus is on expanding awareness about the Winter Crow Roost located in Lawrence, MA. Craig has well over 300 documented observation nights tracking and documenting this crow roost. He leads many group tours and has made numerous presentations and talks. Craig designed and launched a blog and this podcast about the Winter Crow Roost and continues to oversee all editorial content. He has also been the lead on initiating and coordinating a range of activities and events with local arts, education, and community groups as well as working with a growing number of conservation and environmental organizations. He wrote and published a comprehensive 14-page report to recap the 2018-2019 winter season, and a comprehensive guide about roost photography at night. His efforts have raised much greater awareness about the Winter Crow Roost in Lawrence, MA, and he has been a catalyst for a range of new community science initiatives.