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31 December 2023
Success! Final night time, Saturday 30 December, our crew counted 15,000 crows at their roost on Robinson Ext and Brackenridge Streets throughout the Pittsburgh Christmas Hen Depend (CBC). It was an enormous problem in comparison with final 12 months after we may stand in a single place and rely 20,000 flying by within the distance. This 12 months we needed to chase them for 2 hours, texting one another with updates, till the crows lastly picked a spot. In darkness and rain we expect we have been unable to see one other 5,000 however we will’t rely what we will’t see. So the official rely is 15,000.
Carol Steytler, Sue Faust and I did a dry run on Friday night time. That night the western stream flew over the Allegheny River to stage at Cliff Road earlier than shifting on. My transient video exhibits how inconceivable it’s to rely them earlier than they settle.
That night time we adopted about half the flock to Wylie Avenue close to Lawson, however the place did the remainder of them go? Thankfully it was only a dry run earlier than Depend Day.
On Saturday night time Claire Staples joined us for the CBC and we break up as much as discover the crows. Sue waited for them on Arcena Road however not a single crow got here to the bluff above Bigelow. Carol discovered them staging close to Wylie and Herron however when Claire and I caught up we may inform the crows have been going to depart; there are not any streetlights on that patch of woods.
By 5:30pm the crows had picked a roost and we gathered close to Vera Road to observe them swirl overhead within the rain. We counted them in bushes and on the Sports activities Dome however couldn’t see what number of have been on close by roofs and different locations out of sight, so the official rely is 15,000. Perhaps subsequent 12 months we’ll rely all of them.
Thanks to the intrepid crew — Carol Steytler, Sue Faust and Claire Staples — who braved rain, chilly, and darkness to rely the crows. We have been up for the problem and we discovered virtually all of them. And due to my readers on your suggestions and sightings. We’re carried out now till subsequent 12 months. 🙂
And we’ve discovered a beneficial lesson: If you wish to rely crows, don’t anticipate finding them in the identical place and even flying the identical route each night time.
(photograph and video by Kate St. John)
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