Date: 1/5/25 6:59 pm From: Harry LeGrand (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Large crow flock
Three winters ago, I saw probably that "same" flock of crows, not far
away. I was headed back home from a Fort Fisher/Wrightsville Beach trip
also. Around dusk I pulled off at I-40 at Exit 364, which is the Warsaw
exit that has 10+ restaurants; it was time to eat barbecue! This locale
is probably a few miles from where you had your crows. When I got out, the
"ah-ah" calls of Fish Crows were everywhere, and I estimated 3,000 birds,
or more. In fact, that datapoint is already in the Birds of NC website,
which I write: " Peak counts: 10,000 at a roost north of Engelhard (*Hyde*),
14-16 Feb 1987; 3,000, roost near Warsaw (*Duplin*), 23 Dec 2021."
I imagine that there were some American Crows in the flock; I think I heard
some of their calls; and I feel sure that both species can use the same
roost. But I agree with "the other Steve" here that a flock of several
thousand crows in the Carolinas is much more likely to be Fish Crows than
Americans -- especially in winter in the Coastal Plain.
Harry LeGrand
Raleigh
On Sun, Jan 5, 2025 at 9:33 PM Susan Campbell <susan...> wrote:
> 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?
>
> Susan Campbell
> Apex, NC
>
