Comments on: Loring Park Crow Roost

By: Birdzilla

Birdzilla — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 04:31:48 +0000

When the crows and seagulls gather its like in the classic movie THE BIRDS

By: Birdchick

Birdchick — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 22:35:06 +0000

I can tell you with certainty that those are crows, and not ravens in Loring Park. Number one, the lack the wedges-shaped tail and beard that is diagnostic in raven identification, but if you listen to them, they are clearly crows. Here is a link to what an American Crow sounds like:

http://www.xeno-canto.org/sounds/uploaded/IHIOGGZVQA/cp0063_Corvus_brachyrhynchos.mp3

Here’s a link to what Common Ravens sound like:

http://www.xeno-canto.org/sounds/uploaded/IHIOGGZVQA/cp0706b_xc_Corvus_corax_15jun2008_Canyon.mp3

Raven calls are much deeper. Also, you usually don’t find ravens south of Hinckley in Minnesota.

By: chuck gribble

chuck gribble — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 18:09:40 +0000

I take many a walk through Loring Park. I have a pretty strong hunch your crow is a common raven.

By: Kirk Mona

Kirk Mona — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 03:01:57 +0000

Cool Sharon, I have been wanting to check this out for some time as I always drive past and nearly run off the road gawking at the crows. A loring park Birds and Beers sounds good though it might take folks longer to get there and park and whatnot with evening traffic. Nice to hear others Who’d in the new year. Sad to see DT go!

By: Sheri Williamson

Sheri Williamson — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:51:23 +0000

…nothing like a healthy dose of fear to get a writer to finish something.
Amen to that, sister. I’ve got a pile of overdue posts for the Audubon Guides blog, and my second column deadline is already staring me in the face. Bleh.

Thanks for sharing Mr. Neil’s New Year’s message – simply wonderful (and his lady friend sounds like a kindred spirit – my mp3 player is full of “downer songs”).

Well, back to slaving away over a hot keyboard. Enjoy those cookies.

By: TJ

TJ — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 16:12:18 +0000

Thanks, Sharon – I saw the roost flying in from what looked like the Minneapolis impound lot and wondered what the heck they were.

By: Jodyth

Jodyth — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:43:21 +0000

Congrats on getting even closer to completing your book. And thanks for revealing a very cool thing in my own back yard.

By: Phiala

Phiala — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:30:29 +0000

Penn State has a regular winter roost (3 years running). The facilities crew goes to great lengths to get them to move off campus and into a neighboring wooded area. The first year the crows came, there were 3000 or so roosting in the trees around the main pedestrian entrance to campus. You really needed an umbrella to take that route... There are a couple of bad photos here, from that first year. Facilities has gotten pretty good at making the crows switch roosts. They use hand-launched fireworks, both screamers and something that goes flash-bang. They start an hour or so after sunset, which in central Pennsylvania in early December put the festivities around 6:30pm, just when I'm walking home from work. It took about a week to convince the crows to move elsewhere (a mile or so up the road).

By: Birdchick

Birdchick — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:14:32 +0000

Hi Ronda–welcome to the blog and thanks for visiting. Have you started a hive yet? If not, you’re gonna have the time of your life!

Ren–that is a GREAT video! I wondered what the view would be like from one of those higher buildings looking down on the flock. Cool, I’ll add a link to the blog entry.

By: Ren

Ren — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:07:00 +0000

I live by Loring Park and it’s quite a daily ruckus (which I don’t mind at all). Last week I recorded a video clip from a friend’s 20th floor apt of the first wave of the crows flying across the neighborhood sky. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_CWb2hIlao