A question for someone with experience tracking the crows. last year while traveling about 30 miles from home to a deer hunting spot i would notice a lot of 2 , 3 & up to 5 bird groups feeding along side a state Hwy for roughly about a 5 mile stretch. they are already there first thing in the morning. the surrounding area is all farm land , mostly cattle pasture & hay fields with lots of small pockets of woods. no grain crops. yesterday at about an hour after daylight it was the same thing at the same area. so i figure if i'm seeing 10 to 20, there are probably a lot more i'm not seeing. perhaps even a roost nearby.
my question is how to find the flyway or even the roost area ? do you need to be there at first light & watch for where they come from ? or evenings & try to spot them leaving ? all detailed info is appreciated. and also is this the right time to be doing this in central Oklahoma or will patterns change as we go into fall ? Season starts October.
I'll share my thoughts from a ways away in NE Iowa row crop country. When we see what you're seeing in late spring and summer it's family groups close to where they nested.
By this time of year I pretty much know where all the successful nests were within a five mile radius of my place. After they've hatched in our back yards, my hunting partner and I have a group of 5-7 that hang around each place year round, so they must not migrate. On the dozen miles to church this morning I must have seen five such groups. Just the other day I drove past a spot I always see five. Only counted four so slowed and began searching. Sure enough, there was number five, several hundred yards down the road.
I don't think different family groups roost together, but stay near where they nested. Come October they may start grouping up. But is it because beans are being harvested and they're where the feeding is best? Or is it the local family groups mixed with migrants that are starting to filter in? All I know is the bunches I see are bigger.
The family group that nested and hatched at my place visit my burn pile every mid-morning like clockwork. During the dead of winter they may spend the night at a large roost, but they return every mid-morning to that burn pile.
My guess is that you're not going to find a roost at this time of year. This winter they may all be roosting together and most probably in larger numbers than you're seeing now, hopefully with an influx of migrants.
Some insight on your questions:
Unless it's a big long flight, following crows can be a daunting task. "As the crow flies", is never the direction one can drive. They're hard to see against a dark early morning western sky. They're hard to see below the skyline in any direction. Looking in a easterly direction is best especially if the sun rises cloudy. Once it gets light, just keep them above the skyline. Another set of eyes and ears is invaluable. If you know where they feed, yes, be there early to see where they come from. If it's fifty crows they'll trickle in and you'll hardly know it. If it's ten times that you'll get a good sense of direction. A hundred times that and you'll know. You can back track them late in the day to try and find the roost. The lower the numbers, the tougher the task. Better to be early than late, both morning and afternoon.
To do the best job you need time, patience, another set of eyes, binoculars, a full tank of gas and nothing else to draw you from the task at hand. Never be in a hurry. The risk of another set of eyes is they may not have the patience you have. Or have a certain time they need to be home. A lot of time can be wasted by leaving fifteen minutes too soon.
Those are my thoughts and observations from this neck of the woods, hopefully you can glean some helpful information from them. I'm sure some others have some additional observations as well. Use the search feature. There's a great amount of information on your questions.
Keep an eye on the ones you're seeing now and keep us informed on what you learn.
Randy
-- Edited by Granite Jaw on Monday 6th of August 2018 01:04:52 AM
A good post on a great subject, Paul. Around here, the flyways are not as defined as they are in other parts of the country, but I have tried to figure the patterns and found it difficult.
Randy, those are some really good tips. I'm going to do my best to follow them and see if it leads me to the pot of gold!
Thanks for the post and reply, guys!
Demi
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Thanks for that info Randy and it's funny you should mention the burn pile because the same thing goes on here , don't ask me why the crows love to pick through the remnants of brush pile ashes. Perhaps Bob A will chime in on this topic since he's only a couple hours north of me I'm sure he has some valuable information about what time they start their Roost and congregating up. Until then I'll try to steak and out the area on occasion and see what I can learn.