Ohiobirders-

This past Saturday (12 Jan), my wife and I decide to follow up on Laura
Dornan's report of a huge Crow roost in Coshocton (DeLorme 60B4). We
arrived in town around 5pm and already there was a huge gathering of
Crows just south of downtown. What was amazing was how from all
directions there was a constant stream of birds. We had found a spot
near the Kraft plant to pull off the road and watch as the birds staged
in the trees along the river and grazed in the pasture next to the road.
We watched as the flock grew larger and louder, occasionally re-sorting
itself with a huge cry. This went on for about a half hour, then the
Crows started flying to the northeast (towards the site Laura Dornan
tried counting them at.) What was most interesting about that was that
the birds left for their roost from the staging site with very little
calling. It's a very odd thing to experience.

Around 6:00, we went to the parking lot at the roost. It was already
coated with Crows, but looking back at where we had come from there was
a solid cloud of Crows flying towards us. The unbelievable racket of so
many birds in one place is topped only by odor they produce. It makes me
think of visiting penguins at a zoo. if there was ever any wonder where
the phrase 'a murder of Crows" comes from, seeing this roost in action
would resolve any doubt. We watched in amazement for about half an hour,
until it was too dark to see, yet the Crows were still coming in. 

I have posted two short videos at youtube that give a sample of what
this tremendous abundance is like. I apologize for the quality of the
videos. I will say in my defense that it was almost dark and there were
thousands and thousands of Crows flying around (turn up the sound if you
can):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWNat-X_Xek&feature=user

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5cBmL83wy4&feature=user

I have seen the winter Crows in downtown Cincinnati, and while there may
be more birds there, the roost(s) in Coshocton seem more condensed and
more accessible, with fewer distractions in terms of noise. The same
questions that arose the last time I posted about the roosts in
Cincinnati still occur to me today. Where are all these birds going
during the day? How far do they travel? Why here? Why the
staging/roosting two-step? And most importantly to me, where else in
Ohio can I see this? And can we change the name of this town to
Crowshocton?

August Froehlich
Dublin, OH
DeLorme 58 D1

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