March 10, 2026 under clear skies, wind SW at 8MPH, temp 71F; sunset time 6:45PM

Out on Crow Patrol along the south side of the Merrimack River just downriver from the Route 495 bridge, arriving shortly before sunset. At first the area was unexpectedly calm. Small groups of crows passed overhead at higher altitude, suggesting they were still some distance from landing. A few hundred birds perched in trees farther downriver along the south bank, while most of the distant treetops remained quiet. Then, about twenty minutes after sunset, everything changed! From the east, several massive flight streams suddenly charged upriver, converging toward the bridge area in powerful waves. Hundreds of birds filled the fading sky before funneling down into the roost trees along the north side of the river near the Route 495 bridge and adjacent exit ramp.

Within minutes the riverside canopy erupted with sound as the birds packed tightly into the trees. The active roost stretched roughly 200 yards east from the bridge, covering about two acres along the riverbank. Loud vocalizations carried across the water as wave after wave of arriving crows located perches and settled in. Even this late in the winter season, when numbers begin to taper as spring approaches, the spectacle was dazzling. For a few remarkable minutes the sky above the Merrimack became a swirling cloud of wings before the roost finally absorbed the last arrivals for the night.