22 December 2024
In the run-up to the winter solstice the temperature dropped below freezing last week and the clouds moved in. Seen last week includes evidence of deer, snow and crows.
Evidence of deer: After the city parks bow hunt began in September the deer found other places to hang out including cemeteries and backyards. But we still see their evidence of their nighttime presence including this buck rub in Frick Park on 19 December.
Snow fell on Friday and Saturday. In this video its starts out a bit furious and then tapers.
Our search for the Pittsburgh crow roost continues. We need to find as much of it as we can before the Pittsburgh Christmas Bird Count on Saturday, 28 December. So far we haven’t broken 10,000 but we know there are more than that.
Though crows prefer to spend the night in trees we’ve discovered they also roost on rooftops in Oakland where we cannot see and count them. Dang!
Last night Carol Steytler found some near the Pitt Field House. Not a huge number, but encouraging. Her video is dark; it was the middle of the night.
Please help us find the crows. Leave a comment to let me know where you see lots of crows after 4:00pm in the city limits. Tell me about …
- Huge flocks of crows
- Seen after 4:00pm or Overnight
- Where are they? Provide specific location, street or landmark.
- If flying, what direction are they going? I’ll map your contribution and triangulate.
Next week oughta be interesting.
Not exactly your parameters and….
I live in Regent Square, from approximately 3:30 till dark every evening there is a steady stream of crows flying over from southeast to northwest.
Large flock of crows flying overhead heading NW at my location, today @4:30 pm. Email me for exact location.
There is a huge murder of crows that nest along the trees/train tracks near the Homewood station on the East bus way. It’s before the station and after you come across the bridge. I see them around 4:30 PM on my way home.
I saw a large flock of crows in Homewood Cemetery near the intersection of Forbes and Dallas around 4:30pm on Wednesday 12/18. The seemed to be flying in from the east.
I’ve lived in Arlington for 4 years now, and when the weather gets cold, a giant group of crows meets every day near my house around 3-4pm. They fly towards the South Side after.
Swissvale here, up in the Swissvale Alps on Delaware Ave. Crow flight path flies is almost directly over our home around 6:30 am and then again around 5pm. Spotted GIANT groups of them nesting in the trees near the Baum busway bridge in North Oakland/Shadyside overnight- Near the Jiffy Lube.
Thank you, Marge!
I see them in Oakland pretty regularly in the late afternoon/early evening, along Fifth ave between Bigelow and Thackeray. I call it “Crow Happy Hour.” Literally thousands of them hang out in and around the trees.
These were taken on Wednesday, and several trees were full of them.
https://imgur.com/a/plK2F7u
Bike the Chateau Trail along the Ohio River between the West End Bridge and Alcosan and you’ll probably see thousands of crows in the trees. When I was last there on 12/17 that’s what I saw. I think the biggest gathering was in the trees near Branchport Boat Club.
I have video of huge numbers of crows in Allegheny Cemetery in the Lawrenceville neighborhood.
Just saw at least 7-8 or more on top of tree of life in squirrel Hill at about 4:30
I put up a post this morning on the Pittsburgh Reddit group linking to this blog post and asking people for any info. So far I’ve gotten the following:
– Check the Chateau Trail along the Ohio River between the West End Bridge and Alcosan and you’ll probably see thousands of crows in the trees overhead.
– Schenley Golf Course
– A sizable murder roosts in the area between Murray & Wightman/Bartlett & Beacon in Squirrel Hill.
Here’s the link to the thread if you want to see: https://www.reddit.com/r/pittsburgh/comments/1hkngqq/pittsbirders_need_your_help_crowspotting/
Great job, Andrew!
Yesterday 12/22, around 4:35pm, I saw and watched HUNDREDS of them here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/yRuZGwKmXfymS3Me6?g_st=ic
A couple more updates from Reddit
– Centre Ave b/w Herron & Allequippa
– Kirkpatrick St b/w Reed & Fifth
– Somewhere between 200-500 will fly NE into Frick, directly over Braddock & Hutchinson, from somewhere in Edgewood around 4:15pm each day