American Crows and Fish Crows: separate species?
A great question came up recently from a new crow watcher observing a nearby large winter crow roost in Washiungton DC. It’s a question many people new to crow roosts ask: if American Crows and Fish Crows are separate species, why do they mix so freely during winter, flying together, staging together, and roosting side by side in [...]
“Ottawa Morning” Radio Show Interview
Jan. 20, 2026: Early this morning I had the pleasure of joining Ottawa Morning on CBC Radio for a live, wide-ranging conversation about one of winter’s most dramatic urban wildlife spectacles: the Alta Vista crow roost. https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-100-ottawa-morning/clip/16192965-a-growing-murder-crows-alta-vista The invitation came after producer Olivia Robinson reached out, explaining that residents in Alta Vista, and across Ottawa, had been noticing larger [...]
Merrimack Valley Bird Club Outing!
Jan. 19, 2025 under overcast skies, wind SW at 8MPH, 24F; sunset time 4:41PM Monday night brought a terrific turnout of members from the Merrimack Valley Bird Club, gathered under the outstanding leadership of Donna Cooper for another unforgettable evening at the Lawrence winter crow roost. With clear views, active birds, and the added perspective of aerial imagery, [...]
Winter Crow Roost: converging into the roost!
Jan. 7, 2026 under overcast skies, calm wind conditions, temp 33F, and sunset time at 4:27PM The Crow Patrol unfolded primarily along South Canal Street, with endless incoming flight streams and boisterous vocalizations signaling a roost that continues to consolidate and expand westward along the Merrimack River. This first aerial image, captured in the Fulgurite thermal palette, shows [...]
Winter Crow Roost: settled in and all quiet!
Jan. 6, 2026 under overcast skies with light snow, wind NE at 5MPH, temp 29F, hours after sunset time. This short visit took place well after sunset, with flight activity long finished and the roost fully settled. Crows were quietly roosting in two locations, the main roost by the New Balance building and a smaller group east of Route [...]
“Crow Patrol Comes to Manchester”
Dec. 23, 2025, a story written by David Wiedner, who has been tracking the local winter crow roost. This article was published in Ink Link, an online newspaper based in Manchester, NH MANCHESTER, NH – On a recent Wednesday evening on Manchester’s West Side, Craig Gibson stood in a parking lot preparing to launch a thermal-imaging drone. It wasn’t to [...]
Winter Crow Roost: final staging action
Into the Roost! Dec. 22, 2025 under clear skies, wind W 6MPH, temp 30f, sunset time 4:14PM A cold evening along South Canal Street brought steady incoming flight streams and classic late-stage winter roost behavior across rooftops, trees, and the National Grid substation. Crows gathered in final staging mode on the roof of the old B&D warehouse [...]
Winter Crow Roost: 2025 Christmas Bird Count
Thermal & Infrared Reveal! Dec. 20, 2025 under mostly clear skies, wind W at 5MPH, temp 36F; sunset time 4:13PM The first stop on this year’s Christmas Bird Count Crow Patrol brought us to the southern shore of the Merrimack River, just east of the Route 495 bridge, to watch the early staging unfold. About ten minutes [...]
Winter Crow Roost: Manchester, NH
Dec. 18, 2025: under partly cloudy skies, light wind, 41F, sunset time 4;12PM With real gratitude and admiration, I want to recap a memorable winter evening spent with David and Mark in Manchester, two deeply engaged birders whose careful observations and thoughtful documentation are already adding meaningful value to our collective understanding of winter crow roosts. Their willingness to [...]
Winter Crow Roost: 2 locations!
Incoming Flight Streams! Tues. Dec. 16 under mostly clear skies, wind SSW 5MPH, temp 31F, sunset time at 4:12PM Observations began at approximately 4:15 PM at the second, and clearly expanding secondary roost, located just east of the Route 495 bridge. Almost immediately, the sky to the west came alive as hundreds, of Crows swirled against the [...]