Date: 1/6/25 6:44 am From: Nate Dias (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Large crow flock
Susan,
We see it with regularity along the SC coast. Roosts of 40,000+ Fish
Crows are a nightly occurrence in the ACE Basin - we have had them on the
ACE Basin CBC roosting on a wooded island near the Bear Island bridge and
other field parties have had them on the Edisto River side of Bear Island
WMA. And Rat Island near Charleston Harbor used to have 5-figure Fish
Crow roosts regularly (before a tree die-off). Plus other examples.
This time of year long "flows" of Fish Crows can often be observed at dusk
flying down the Ashley and Cooper Rivers towards Charleston Harbor. And
flying down the Santee River heading towards the Delta. I have also seen
them flying down the Savannah River at dusk.
These roost sites move around and are ephemeral - presumably due to
disturbance, predator activity, etc.
Nathan Dias - Charleston, SC
--
flickr.com/photos/offshorebirder2
"These days I prefer to hunt with a camera. A good photograph demands more
skill from the hunter, better nerves and more patience than the rifle
shot." -- Bror Blixen
On Sun, Jan 5, 2025 at 9:34 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
>
