They’re amazing numbers - it’s likely you’re seeing post breeding juvenile groups. How and why these groups form and function is part of Bernd Heinrich’s classic studies. Two of his books - 'Mind of the Raven' and 'Ravens in Winter' are both worth reading on this. (Especially the latter - one of my favorite books)
As in interesting corollary - I’m also seeing way more ravens right now back on my upland farm in the northern UK. They were rare here before I moved to the US. The winter courtship is well underway and nesting will start soon. Although nothing like your numbers, the range expansion seems truly widespread. Great news! cheers, Dom *Dominic Garcia-Hall* *www.antbirds.com <http://www.antbirds.com/>* *NY +1 917 740 1945* *UK +44 161 408 4002* On Sat, 2 Dec 2017 at 04:47, Andrew Mason <andyma...@earthling.net> wrote: > The Delaware-Otsego Audubon Soc. has been using trail cameras baited with > road-killed deer to determine winter Golden Eagle presence in the Catskills > and central NY over the past few years. The numbers of ravens coming in to > these sites is astonishing--hundreds at a time on occasion. So many that > they can strip a full grown deer carcass to the bones in a day. > > When I began birding in the 1980s, it was necessary to travel to the > Adirondacks to have a chance of seeing a raven--what a range expansion! > > Here's a link to a photo of a modest congregation at one site: > https://photos.app.goo.gl/a3EAuqzCZgYkjN6D3. > > Andy Mason > > > > On 12/1/2017 3:25 PM, Andrew Block wrote: > > Nice sighting. It is very rare for around here to see so many in a flock, > but out West they are frequently seen in medium sized flocks sometimes much > larger usually at a feeding site such as a dead large mammal. I have > personally seen a flock of 80-100 in Unity, Maine, back in the mid 80's > flying over the Unity College campus. It blew my mind when I realized they > were ravens. It's so great to have them around here. > > Andrew > > *Andrew v. F. Block* > *Consulting Naturalist* > 20 Hancock Avenue, Apt. 3 > <https://maps.google.com/?q=20+Hancock+Avenue,+Apt.+3+%0D+Yonkers,+Westchester+Co.,+New+York+10705&entry=gmail&source=g> > Yonkers, Westchester Co., New York 10705 > <https://maps.google.com/?q=20+Hancock+Avenue,+Apt.+3+%0D+Yonkers,+Westchester+Co.,+New+York+10705&entry=gmail&source=g> > -4629 > Phone: 914-963-3080 <(914)%20963-3080>; Cell: 914-319-9701 > <(914)%20319-9701> > www.flickr.com/photos/conuropsis/albums > > > ------------------------------ > *From:* Shaibal Mitra <shaibal.mi...@csi.cuny.edu> > <shaibal.mi...@csi.cuny.edu> > *To:* "NYSBIRDS (NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu)" <NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu> > <NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu> > *Sent:* Friday, December 1, 2017 2:43 PM > *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/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm> > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm > <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm> > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm > <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > > ARCHIVES: > 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/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:* > Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm> > Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm> > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave > <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > *Archives:* > The Mail Archive > <http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> > Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L> > ABA <http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01> > *Please submit your observations to **eBird* > <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>*!* > -- > > > -- > Andrew Mason1039 Peck St. > Jefferson, NY 12093 > (607 > <https://maps.google.com/?q=1039+Peck+St.%0D+Jefferson,+NY+12093%0D+(607&entry=gmail&source=g>) > 652-2162andyma...@earthling.net > > -- > *NYSbirds-L List Info:* > Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm> > Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm> > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave > <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > *Archives:* > The Mail Archive > <http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> > Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L> > ABA <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/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/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/ --
