Date: 1/5/25 6:34 pm From: Susan Campbell <susan...> Subject: Large crow flock
All,
Today Steve and I had a fun and satisfying day birding in the Wilmington area. The weather was good and the birds were very cooperative! The big highlight was getting not only all three Scoter species but also Common Eider, Long-tailed and Harlequin Duck! I never thought that could happen in NC on the same day!
On the way back home, at dusk, we had a very unexpected observation. Just after crossing the Sampson County line on I40, a flock of black birds appeared in front of us. They were flying in a wide ribbon; just like flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds or Grackles are known to do. But we quickly realized the birds were not blackbirds but, amazingly, crows. Initially I thought it was likely they were migrating Fish Crows but now realize they may have been Americans-- or even been a mix of the two. They were clearly heading to roost and are known to roost apart or together during the cooler months.
The flock was easily 5,000 birds in size. The ribbon was stretched out over about a mile of the interstate. There is plenty of swampy habitat there that the birds may have been headed to. But, reviewing maps of the area, do not see a particular geographic feature that might indicate their destination.
So--- has anyone else experienced such a large aggregation of crows in the Carolinas?
