There has been large groups of Common (really) Ravens at Minnewaska State Park near New Paltz, Ulster County for the last few years. Scott Baldinger has been keeping close tabs on them with his regular Tuesday Early Birders Walks.
Richard Guthrie On Fri, Dec 1, 2017 at 3:19 PM, Kevin J. McGowan <[email protected]> wrote: > Undoubtedly a winter non-breeder group. I remember less than a decade ago > my first encounter in the state with such a group in eastern Cortland > County. I realized that there were now enough ravens breeding in New York > that the juveniles could find each other. Looks like that might be true in > your area now. > > Kevin McGowan > Ithaca > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:bounce-122096022- > [email protected]] On Behalf Of Shaibal Mitra > Sent: Friday, December 1, 2017 2:43 PM > To: NYSBIRDS-L <[email protected]> > Subject: [nysbirds-l] Astonishing High Count for Common Raven, Suffolk > Co., LI > > Watching a Prothonotary Warbler flying around me in low, repeated zig-zags > over open ground on 1 December wasn't the most unusual thing I saw this > morning at the Suffolk County Farm in Yaphank, Suffolk County, Long Island. > > Pat had seen a couple of Common Ravens before I arrived and wanted me to > see them. "There's a raven," she said, "with those crows." Raising our > binoculars, we came to the same shocking realization simultaneously: > "They're ALL ravens!" > > A flock of more than 30 Common Ravens rose above the treeline to the south > of property; I counted 23 at one point, and Pat counted 30 at another, but > there were clearly more based on the way that portions of the flock dipped > in and out of sight. One of my photos shows at least 21 in the frame. The > group gradually dispersed westward and southward, but ten or more were > still visible at times over the next hour or so, including when Derek > Rogers stopped by to see if I was ok. > > Prior to this I wasn't aware that Common Ravens occurred in flocks larger > than a family group, even in places where they are common (except maybe > along salmon runs in Alaska), and I would have thought that 30 was about > right for the total population on all of Long Island. > > Perhaps there is an overnight roost there or nearby, to be worked out. > > The statuses of Long Island Corvus have changed beyond recognition. > Whereas we used to have Twa Corbies, with brachrhynchos vastly outnumbering > ossifragus, now there are Trois--and nowadays a count of 30 American Crows > would be quite notable anywhere on western LI. > > Shai Mitra > Bay Shore > -- > > NYSbirds-L List Info: > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm > > ARCHIVES: > 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html > 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L > 3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 > > Please submit your observations to eBird: > http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ > > -- > > > -- > > NYSbirds-L List Info: > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm > > ARCHIVES: > 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html > 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L > 3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 > > Please submit your observations to eBird: > http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ > > -- > > -- Richard Guthrie -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
