Nature's Garden Naturally: Thousands of Crows Put on a Show

Crows staging along the Merrimack River, Lawrence, Massachusetts

You may not think that spending an evening in freezing temperatures to watch crows would be a desirable activity, but that's exactly what my husband and I did this past Sunday.

A special evening to learn about these corvids was held in Lawrence, Massachusetts and was sponsored by the Merrimack River Watershed Council, Merrimack Valley Bird Club and Andover Village Improvement Society. It was aptly named "River in the Sky-Our Merrimack of Wintering Crows." The event which quickly "sold out" was attended by a variety of individuals from avid birders to those who were just curious as to why anyone would want to watch crows. Before heading out into the field, we gathered at the Essex Art Center where a gallery of photos and artwork was displayed. We listened to talks by the sponsors and Craig Gibson, an area photographer and member of the Lawrence "Crow Patrol." When we saw a presentation given by Dana Duxbury-Fox and Bob Fox, veteran birders who have been observing the crows along the Merrimack River for the past few years.

If you don't already know, crows are highly intelligent, but also very social birds. This is evident in the fact that some migrate hundreds of miles from their summer breeding grounds, to gather in large groups during the winter. These winter roosting sites can number in the tens of thousands. Although these large roosting areas have been documented for centuries, the reasons for this behavior is not well understood. It is believed that one reason they congregate in such large groups is that it provides protection from predators. In recent years, crows seem to be selecting urban areas more for their winter roosting sites. One such city is Lawrence, Massachusetts, where the crows have been returning each winter for numerous years. The Fox's and Craig Gibson have begun to monitor their behavior. You can follow their research and observations at wintercrowroost.com.

Around 4:00 PM we drove to the anticipated staging area, the Abe Bashara Boathouse, 1 Eaton Street. Staging is what the birds do before settling in for their final resting spot of the evening. It provides an opportunity for all the birds to arrive at a central location. This process starts about an hour before sunset and lasts until approximately a half hour after sunset. Although the exact location of where the crows begin staging can change each night, we were fortunate that the boathouse location proved to be the perfect spot to view them on Sunday.

Craig Gibson describes to the group the crows staging behavior

When we first arrived, the first thing we saw were two bald eagles circling overhead. I took this as a sign that it was going to be a good night of bird watching. We saw several eagles after that and for the most part, the crows and the eagles left each other alone. However as dusk approached, groups of crows were seen chasing the eagles away.

Crows and a bald eagle sharing the trees in the early evening

At first, the crows arrived in small groups, but as the sun began to set, they could be seen approaching in waves of hundreds or maybe thousands. Some settled in trees on either side of the river, and some landed on the ice where the river was frozen. It has been documented that the crows are arriving from locations up to 20 miles away, where they have been foraging for food during the day. This is quite an amazing feat when you consider all the energy they must expend to do this.

Most of the crows settled in the trees, but some were more interested in gathering on the ice.

It was fascinating to watch and listen to them, as they were quite noisy, especially when a group would decide that it was time to move. For some unknown reason, a large group would all take flight at once, circle over the river and then land on the other side.

Trees filled up with crows

We decided to leave before finding out whether or not this would be their final roosting spot, but our frozen toes told us it was time to go. We bid the birds farewell and left with a much better appreciation of these amazing birds and wonder at how marvelous Nature can be. Sometime in March the crows will disperse to their normal breeding grounds, so if you know of a roosting area where you live, I recommend visiting it some evening soon. You will not be disappointed.