Jays and Crows

Blue Jay

Cyanocitta cristata
An “extraordinary racket” outside their front window caught the attention of Jarold and Dorothy Ramsey of Rochester’s 19th Ward in September 1993. Four Blue Jays had gathered on a single branch of a spruce tree near the window. “One jay would screech and bob, which seemed to be a signal for the others to bob in return and emit two other sounds – a peculiar spurring and a hollow clicking,” Frank Dobson reported. “The leader would start and the others would join, creating an extraordinary effect of rhythm and sound lasting maybe 10 seconds. Then they would stop and start all over again. The whole performance lasted about 10 minutes and then they flew off.” (Birds, 24 October 1993) Love them or hate them, our colorful, brash Blue Jays are invariably eye-catching and interesting. Jane and Max Mason recorded as many as 22 at a time at their feeder in January 2001. (LG, March 2001)This would have stunned local birders back in the days before World War II, when Blue Jays were much less common than they are now, and even a discarded feather was a noteworthy find!
Background
This colorful corvid with the bewildering array of calls is a year-round resident east of the Rockies, and north into southern and west-central Canada. It has expanded its range westward, helped by urbanization and accompanying plantings and bird feeders. It is well adapted to forests and woodlands, but also to towns and residential areas, especially those having large oaks or other mast-producing trees. These birds can harvest 2-5 acorns or as many as 15 beechnuts at a time; one study of six birds with radio transmitters indicated they each cached 3,000 to 5,000 acorns in a single autumn! “All aspects of Blue Jay migration (are) poorly understood,” though it is clear that at least some individuals remain year-round throughout their range, while others migrate. Despite their adaptability, BBS data in recent years have indicated declining populations, with most of the decrease in eastern U.S. (BNA 469: 1, 3-4, 6, 8, 24)
Local history
John Brown could not help but be amused, watching the birds at his Scottsville feeder in July 1979. “Noisiest around our place are the young Blue jays, whose piteous pleas for food ill become their size, which is now virtually that of the adults. Some corn and sunflower seeds scattered in a feeder brings them in where their comical feeding antics enliven the summer scene.” (BA, 18 July 1979)Not too many years before, a Blue Jay at a feeder would have been a rare sight indeed. This brash and colorful bird, familiar to backyard feeder watchers, was not always as widespread as now. We have the statements of several eminent observers to back that up. Eaton (1914) said it was common “only in the less settled districts … and in western New York is confined mostly to the larger forests, swamps and ravines.” He listed it as only a fairly common resident (Livingston County), uncommon resident (Monroe) or occasional summer resident (Wayne County), and a fairly common transient in Monroe and Wayne. (Eaton, II:208, I: county charts)Edson said it was “extremely uncommon” when he began his observations in 1913 and for the next twenty years or so. (WBR, 4 February 1957) R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, indicated average counts of one to two birds, with a maximum count of only 15. Horsey and Edson noted that “once or twice a year he pays Highland Park a visit, but seems not to find conditions to his liking, so his stay is short.” (“Fluttering Wings of Gull Hosts Enliven Scene in Valley Park,” D&C, 28 October 1929) Indeed, “In the early 1930s Blue Jays were so uncommon in Monroe County that just finding the feather of one on a pine-needled slope in Durand-Eastman Park was an event of extraordinary interest,” Brown noted. (BA, 20 July 1977) We can find further confirmation in the diaries Richard O’Hara kept as a young birder; the Blue Jay he saw at Highland Park on 28 April 1938 was the “first I have ever seen in the parks” despite birding since the year before. When he saw another in the park that September he considered it a “rare record.” (17 September 1938) The following year, he didn’t find his first Blue Jay for the year until 14 May, despite frequent outings. Only since 1938 was it regularly seen on the Rochester Christmas Bird Count, and even in 1947, only two were tallied. (O’Hara, p. 43) Beardslee and Mitchell, writing in 1965, also noted that “until recently Blue Jays were less common in western New York than in many other sections of the East… A few pairs were found in many of the deeper woods, but they seldom visited the larger cities as was their habit elsewhere.” They noted an increase beginning about 1946 “and by 1951 we considered it a common species, finding it occasionally in our cities.” (B&M, p. 318)When Leo Tanghe examined 1,665 outings by Genesee Ornithological Society members from 1951 to 1954, this species was reported 749 times within a 50-miles radius of Rochester, with 178 sightings in May when highest average counts of 50 to 70 occurred. (KB 5: 69: 5A-5B)In 1953, Tanghe listed this as a common breeder in the Rochester area, and specifically mentioned the Burroughs-Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary and Mendon Ponds as nesting locations. (GOS, May/August 1953)“It is to be seen almost anywhere and can be classed as, at least, fairly common and in migration at times abundant,” Edson noted in 1957. (WBR, 4 February 1957)Banding results indicate we have both resident and migrant Blue Jays in New York State, Bull noted (Bull, p. 391), with “certain individuals remaining the year around or moving but short distances, while others banded in summer in New York have been recovered in late fall or winter in the southern states.”
Status
The Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a common permanent resident and an abundant spring and fall transient.Livingston County, Fox (1998) considered this a common permanent resident.
Occurrence
Spring: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of dates for transients from 15 April to 15 June. Large numbers migrate along the Lake Ontario shoreline, peaking in May but extending well into June some years. In 1966 many migrating Blue Jays were apparently stalled along the lakeshore by a cold snap. “They seem to be very hungry and taking advantage of any feeders still in operation,” Brown reported. (BA, 2 June 1966) “Mrs. John G. Kellock of Manitou Beach Road reports she had 22 at her feeder on May 25.” Of the 30 most common species banded in spring at Manitou by Braddock Bay Bird Observatory during 1999-2006, this ranked 14th with 686 birds taken from the nets.Though occasional large movements are documented, the spring migration of this species merits closer attention.
Spring maxima: 3,000 in a half hour on 6 May 1977 (R. Spahn) at Manitou. (KB27: 152) 10,000+ (in four hours) on 12 May 1978 (R. Dobson) at Manitou. (GOS, July 1978) 2,500 on 12 May 1984 (Griffith) west lakeshore. (GOS, July/August 1984) 9,000 on 13 May 1978 (J. Skelly, Perrigo) along the west lakeshore. (LG, June 1978) 5,000 on 15 May 1977 (Perrigo) at Braddock Bay. (LG, June 1977) 2,000 on 16 May 1958 (Listman, Barry) at Manitou. (GNR) 2,000 on 16 May 1976 (F.and R. Dobson) west lakeshore. (GNR) 15,000 on 16 May 1986 (Nicoletti) Braddock Bay. (GOS, November 1986) 2,000+ on 18 May 1996 (R. Spahn, Whittum) west lakeshore. (GOS, July/August 1996) 1,500 flew by in 15 minutes on 26 May 1984 (R. Spahn) at the West Spit of Braddock Bay. (GOS, July/August 1984) 6,000 on 29 May 1969 (Listman) at Braddock Bay. (GOS, July/September 1969) 200 on 6 June 1969 (McKinney) Braddock Bay. (GNR) 200 still migrating on 10 June 1961 (Listman) “past Braddock’s Bay.” (KB 11:158) 15 in flight on 29 June 1975 (Listman) Braddock Bay. (GNR)
Summer/breeding status: “The variety of sites in which the Blue Jay nests has increased with its invasion of populated areas” to include city parks and residential neighborhoods, Steven Sibley noted in his profile of this species for The Atlas of Breeding Birds in New York State. (Andrle, p. 280) Indeed, the change in this species’ status since the days when Eaton found it only in the “less settled districts” is wonderfully illustrated by the Breeding Bird Atlas projects, which found evidence of breeding in virtually every block assigned to Region 2.

In 1991 a pair nested in a small stand of spruce trees in Frank Dobson’s neighborhood in suburban Greece. “The jays were extremely quiet during their lengthy breeding period,” Dobson observed. “. . . eventually two fluffy balls of blue and white feathers, with big bill and long legs, started flitting through the cover.” (Birds, 7 July 1991) Fall/winter: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of dates for transients from 15 September to 10 December.

Other winter maxima:125 on 22 February 1987 (Travers) Webster. (GOS, April 1987)
Misc.
This species and American Crow seem more susceptible than most species to West Nile virus, a recent mosquito-borne disease that may decrease its numbers. “Blue Jays seem to be getting sassier,” Frank Dobson noted in late February 1983. “They pop in and out of the yard quite regularly. Pretty much the bully of the feeder crowd, they signal their arrival with a loud cry and come roaring into the feeder. All the small birds meekly give way till the cocky one in blue stores a dozen or so sunflower seeds in its throat pouch, then heads for a sturdy perch to extract the meat. Clamping the seed under its feet, it bangs away almost woodpecker style till the shell gives way.”Dobson couldn’t help wondering if the blue jay ever missed and inflicted a “nasty rap on the foot instead. One of those cries could be an expletive.” (Birds, 27 February 1983)Edson, too, noted their antics. “If fortune favors the jays and a sleeping owl or resting hawk is discovered, then their cup of joy is full indeed – for the jays, that is, but not for the victim; then the welkin rings with their shouts.” (WBR, 26 January 1954)Banded birds: One banded on 2 May 1991 at Manitou was found dead in its seventh year on February 1996 eight miles south of Corydon, Indiana, 564 miles southwest of Braddock Bay. (LG, March 1997)

Black-billed Magpie

Pica hudsonia
In the spring of 1949, Walt Listman saw one of these western birds flying near Braddock Bay. That much seems clear. The details, however, are anything but clear. Two different accounts exist. Edson wrote – and the Monroe County annotated list concurs – that the sighting was 1 April 1949 when Listman “had the good fortune of seeing this bird following a flock of migrants flying low over East Manitou Road at a distance of not more than 75 feet.” (WBR, 30 April 1956 and 4 April 1949; AL p. 41) Beardslee and Mitchell give the date as 20 March 1949, and say the magpie was flying east behind the crows “over Lake Ontario off the west spit at Braddock’s Bay.” John Bull (1974) repeats the same version. (B&M, p. 319; Bull, p. 396) In any event, it was our first and only record in this region of a bird that often wanders, but has also been known to escape from captivity.
Background
These birds can be as bold as their plumage: when Lewis and Clark first encountered magpies in 1804 in South Dakota, the birds entered tents to steal meat and took food from the hand, notes Charles H. Trost in his profile of this species for The Birds of North America series. Various subspecies can be found throughout northern Europe and in Asia, with probable connections via the Bering Land Bridge to the North American population. These birds were formerly closely associated with Native Americans, following them on their bison hunts to feed on the refuse. With the demise of the bison, this species retreated from many parts of its former range. These birds were also poisoned by the thousands to prevent them from consuming bait used to control coyotes. Nonetheless this species has recently expanded its range in Minnesota, Alberta and parts of California and Arizona. Wanders irregularly in winter to the Pacific Coast and other areas just outside of its normal range, “but the many records from farther east are suspect – may be escaped captives.” (BNA 389: 1-3)
Status Exotic, very rare visitor.
Occurrence
One record:One 20 March or 1 April 1949 (Listman) near Braddock Bay.

American Crow

Corvus brachyrhynchos
Though many people revile the American Crow, there is much to recommend this species to anyone interested in studying bird behavior. Indeed, they are hard to miss in our region:divebombing Red-tailed Hawks that fly through their nesting territories, ornoisily surrounding Great-horned Owls in trees, or      cannily dodging highway traffic to pluck at road kill, or     streaming in ragged flocks along the Lake Ontario shoreline during spring migration, or     converging in late afternoon from all points of the compass in winter to roost downtown, or     simply foraging in twos and threes in the fields – with a sentinel almost invariably keeping watch from a high perch nearby.
Background
“Everybody knows crows,” notes the profile of this species in The Birds of North America series, and “most people have opinions about crows that run the gamut from outright hatred to bemused admiration” of their cunning and inquisitive nature. This is one of the most widespread birds in North America, breeding across much of the southern half of Canada and most of the United States except in the southwest, withdrawing from the northern part of its range in winter. This species prefers open areas with scattered trees and small woodlots, and clearly benefited from the clearing of forests, planting of trees around prairie homesteads and urban centers, and tilling of agricultural land that followed the arrival of European colonists. They feed on just about anything: insects, amphibians, reptiles, small birds and mammals, bird’s eggs, nestlings and fledglings, grain crops, seeds and fruits, carrion and discarded human food. “Large-scale persecution during the nineteenth century and first half of the twentieth made crows shy of people. They learned quickly, however, that there is safety from guns in villages and cities and that food is abundant there.” This helps explain the presence of communal roosts in or near towns and cities in winter. BBS data suggest populations increasing in the U.S., stable in Canada. (BNA 647: 1, 2, 6, 26)
Local history
“The advent of the crow in this region was in 1817,” observed Joseph Sibley of Rush in his reminiscences, published in 1851 in Orasmus Turner’s Phelps and Gorham Purchase. (See excerpts in Goshawk, June 1992) “They had been preceded by the raven, their natural enemy, as I am led to infer. The crow made cautious and gradual approaches; at first, they flew over, then ventured to light on the tops of the highest trees, in which position they would seem to be determining if it were safe to locate. It was some time before they became permanent residents, and had fairly expelled the raven.”American Crows were no doubt much less common in New York before the forests were cleared by European settlers. (See Common Raven below). By 1910, however, Eaton considered them an abundant resident in Monroe County, and common in Livingston and Wayne. (Eaton I: county charts)R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, listed this as a resident species, with average tallies of two to 15, and a maximum count of 2,000.When Leo Tanghe examined 1,665 outings by Genesee Ornithological Society members from 1951 to 1954, this species was reported 1,401 times, making it one of the most frequently encountered of all species. The highest average counts, 300-500, occurred third week of March and last half of December – probably reflecting spring migrants along the lakeshore, and roosting birds. (KB 5: 69: 5A-5B)In 1953, Tanghe listed this as an abundant breeder in the Rochester area, and specifically mentioned Round Pond and Scottsville as nesting locations. (GOS, May/August 1953)       Status
The Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a very common permanent resident, abundant in roosts in winter, and a very common to abundant spring transient.Livingston County, Fox (1998) considered this a very common permanent resident.
Occurrence
Spring: Large numbers migrate along the lakeshore. Dwight Chamberlain tallied 91,950 during a daily crow count at Sodus Point from 20 February to 9 May 1963. The best daily counts – as many as 12-14,000 on three dates – tended to occur on brisk southerly or southwesterly winds. (GOS, October 1963; KB13: 154-155)Good numbers can be moving quite early in the year; Brett Ewald tallied 850 migrating past Braddock Bay on 25 February 1992. (GOS, April 1992) Another 2,500 on 15 March 1953 were mostly flying west, in the opposite direction of the hawks. (KB 3:14)
Spring maxima:         2,000+ (in two hours) on 28 February 1981 (R. Dobson) at Braddock Bay. (GNR)     20,000 on 11 March 1956 (R. Dobson) at the hawk lookout, Manitou. (GOS, January-June 1956) On this day temperatures reached 57 degrees and winds were as high as 65 miles per hour from the southwest. Passage of a cold front in the early afternoon brought the movement to a halt.     13,000+ on 19 March 1986 (Nicoletti) at Braddock Bay. (GOS, November 1986)       4,800 on 20 March 1952 at the lakeshore when southwest winds averaged about 13 mph. (GOS, March/April 1952)       1,000 on 20 March 1984 (N. Moon) at the Genesee River along Wilson Blvd. (GOS, May 1984)
Summer/breeding status: Both Breeding Bird Atlas projects found evidence of breeding in virtually every block assigned to Region 2.

Winter: Large winter roosts were known to Eaton in the early 1900s. One in Gates contained an estimated 20,000-40,000 birds, another near Canandaigua an estimated 20,000. (Eaton II:215)More recently, crows have begun roosting in cities. Kevin McGown of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, speculates they do so because of the relative warmth, lighting, safety from Great Horned Owls, and because urban settings tend to be off-limits to shooting. In Rochester, winter roosts have been located in Mt. Hope Cemetery or Genesee Valley Park. (O’Hara, p. 41) John Brown in 1963 said the Mt. Hope roost was 15 years old. (BA, 26 December 1963)Foley, Foster and T. Tetlow counted 11,000 at the cemetery on 30 December 1961. (GNR)Chamberlain, who would later do graduate work on fish crows at the University of Maryland (BA, 6 May 1971), estimated there were three principal roosts in the region during the winter of 1962-1963: 25,000 birds at Savannah, Wayne County, off Route 31; 13,705 birds at Mount Hope Cemetery; and 4,000 birds southeast of Canadice lake. (BA, 24 January 1963) The following year, 17,148 were roosting at Rochester on 22 December. (KB 14: 209)Fewer than two thousand were roosting near the cemetery during the winter of 1970-71. (KB 21:78) A roost of 3,200 was reported in January 1983. (GOS, March 1983) But 14,000 were tallied on 22 December 1993 (C. Cass) at Rochester (KB44: 123) and 20,000 were at Rochester (C. Cass, R. Mather) on 18 February 1996. (KB 46:150) In 1999 the roost continued to be located near the University of Rochester and Genesee Valley Park. (LG, March 1999)

Misc. Like the Blue Jay, this species is especially prone to West Nile virus, which may reduce its numbers.During the Christmas Count in December 1963 it was discovered that the Mt. Hope Cemetery crow roost had not only increased from 13,000 to 17,481 but “had suddenly decamped,” John Brown reported.Chamberlain relocated the birds roosting nearby in trees along the river at Genesee Valley Park. “Chamberlain noted that numbers of them seemed to be spending the night in the snow on the frozen surface of the river, which is well-illuminated by the lights of the skating rink and Elmwood Avenue.”Chamberlain returned early on the evening of Christmas Eve to find about 7,000 crows already on the ice. “They seemed to dig small depressions in the snow for protection against the elements.” Chamberlain theorized that the crows had temporarily relocated to the riverbed because it was a less exposed position, giving them shelter from the extreme cold that had set in. Moreover, the open riverbed and nearby lighting gave them “a clear view of a wide area and precludes their being surprised by predators.”The roar of low-flying planes approaching the airport, and the lights of passing traffic “seem to bother them not at all.” (BA, 26 December 1963) Frank Dobson noted how over the years “farmers have been driven to distraction by the crow’s fondness for freshly sprouted corn. It’s not the sprout they are after. The green shoots just make a handy tool for pulling the softened kernel from the ground, a delicacy on their spring menu.” (Birds, 13 October 1985)

Fish Crow

Corvus ossifragus
How do you tell a Fish Crow from an American Crow? This is more than just an academic exercise: As Fish Crows expand their range, and perhaps even begin breeding in our region in the near future, it is important that local birders become well acquainted with the differences in the two species if they are to properly document their presence here. Perhaps no better source on this is Kevin McGowan of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, who has spent years studying crows in and around Ithaca, where Fish Crow now nests regularly.Visit his Web site at https://www.birds.cornell.edu/crows/FishCrow.htm and you will receive an excellent introduction.“Visually, Fish Crows are difficult to tell from American Crows,” McGowan notes. “Unless one has a great deal of experience in close observation of the species, identification is only safely done by voice.”Most of us are familiar with the “caw-caw” frequently given by the American Crow. The Fish Crow gives a much more nasal call: “awh” or “uhn.” The most diagnostic call of a Fish Crow is a double-noted “uh-uh,” McGowan writes.“I always say that if you want to tell the species of crow, ask it if it is an American Crow. Fish Crows will deny this by their emphatic ‘uh-uh’!” This is a call never given by American Crow.An important caution: “Not only can the begging calls of young American Crow cause confusion with Fish Crow, but so can the begging calls of courting female American Crow. The latter vocalization occurs in the early spring when observers sometimes assume that American Crow do not make sounds that could be mistaken for Fish Crow.” (KB 41:78) These American Crow begging calls sound somewhat like the “awh” call of a Fish Crow. However, McGowan notes, the begging call of an American Crow is more drawn out and lacks the abrupt ending of a Fish Crow call.“Think of it as ‘aaawwwwww’ versus ‘aawwp,’” McGowan suggests. Background
The ability of this species to adapt to humans and scavenge efficiently along shorelines has helped it greatly expand its range and numbers during the last few decades. Primarily a bird of coastal and tidewater regions of the southeast U.S., it has expanded inland along major rivers and northward along the Atlantic Coast. Burgeoning populations after this species fell under protection of migratory bird treaty act in 1970s may also have fueled expansion. (BNA 589: 1, 7-8)
Local history
This “denizen of the coasts and tidal rivers,” Richard Bonney notes, has been gradually expanding its range in New York state, up the Hudson River and even breeding at Ithaca starting in 1979. (Andrle, p. 284) No doubt this has contributed to sightings of wanderers in our region, usually of one or two birds, apparently starting in the 1980s.Note: One on 28 July 1984 (Davids, Griffith) at Hamlin Beach SP (KB 34:244) was reported as the “second” sighting in our region, but this researcher was unable to find any references to a previous sighting in LG, GOS or KB. Speculation is that this species will eventually be found breeding in our region. (KB 52:348)
Status Irregular (now nearly regular), very rare visitant.
Occurrence
About 28 records since 1984, of which more than half – 15 – were in April and May, the rest July through early November. Dates range from 6 April to 2 November. Seven records occurred 1984-1989, ten from 1990-1999, and 11 from 2000-2006, indicating a steady increase in reports.

Maxima: All but one sighting have involved one or two birds. However: Five on 23 May 1988 (R. and S. Spahn) at Perinton. (KB 38: 196)
Breeding status
Though not confirmed breeding in our region, it may be only a matter of time before it does. During the first BBA project, the only confirmed breeding away from the coastal lowlands and lower Hudson valley was at Ithaca. During the second project, breeding was confirmed in the Syracuse area, near Skaneateles, in the Binghamton area and in an additional block along Cayuga Lake, with possible breeding reported as far west as Steuben County and as far north as Jefferson County.Possible breeding was reported in one block in our region during the second project, in the Braddock Bay area.[Editor: Fish Crow has become more numerous in the past 10 years and is a confirmed breeder in the latest Atlas (2020-2025)]

Common Raven

Corvus corax
This species was all but extirpated in New York state during the great clearing of the forests of the 1800s. But after one was sighted at Webster in 1973, then three more in our area from 1977 to 1980, local birders began to take notice. Chip Perrigo speculated that these sightings might represent “vagabond loners, probably exploring new territory for future colonization. The towering hills of Bristol and Honeoye Lake, and the precipitous rocky cliffs of the Letchworth should be monitored with anticipation: all of the past omens point to a very possible establishment of nesting Ravens sometime in our regional future.” (LG, April 1980) Twenty-two years later, Perrigo’s prediction came true. Breeding was confirmed near Rattlesnake Hill WMA in 2002. And when the results of the second Breeding Bird Atlas project were in hand, it was clear that a startling expansion of this species’ breeding range had occurred. Background
This largest-bodied of all passerines is also one of the most widespread naturally occurring birds in the world, according to the profile of this species in The Birds of North America series. It is distributed across major portions of North America, Europe, Asia and North Africa. Historically, it lived on the Great Plains in association with bison and wolves, but by early 20th century was extirpated in many places there, and in New England, the Mid-Atlantic states and much of the Appalachians due to trapping, disappearance of bison, deforestation, and increases in American Crow populations. Now it is reclaiming much of its former range in the eastern U.S. as forests regenerate and “is even moving into urban areas in parts of its range – adapting to human presence much as it also associates with other top carnivores.” Ironically, in some parts of its range programs have been put in place to control rapidly expanding populations, even as birds are being reintroduced in other parts of its range where numbers have declined. This species can be a pest; ravens have pecked eyes from newborn lambs, poked holes in airplane wings, stripped specialized radar absorbent material off buildings at a naval weapons center, peeled identification labels off toxic waste drums, stolen golf balls, etc. They have also been implicated in the decline of several endangered species, including desert tortoise, California Condor, Marbled Murrelet and Least Tern. (BNA 476: 1-2, 21, 23)
Local history
Warren Lloyd was watching flocks of Canada Geese leave the fields south of his Webster home on 16 March 1973, when he noticed three or four crows approaching in the distance. “A much larger, very dark bird appeared” in their company. It was black. It looked almost twice as big as the crows. It flapped and glided and sailed a few times.At first Lloyd tried to turn it into a dark-phase Rough-legged Hawk, but the bird’s profile was all wrong. This bird kept its wings flat. By the time it was overhead, and Lloyd could see that the head and bill were like a crow’s, only heavier. And when he saw the wedge-shaped tail, there could be no doubt.A Common Raven. (GOS, May 1973) In fact, the first raven reported in our region in nearly 50 years.Ravens were widely distributed in New York state when it was blanketed with virgin forest. However, they retreated into the Adirondacks when Europeans cleared the land. Even there, numbers declined precipitously by the early 1900s. For example, Dewitt Clinton found great numbers of Ravens in 1810, just outside our region along Seneca Lake near Geneva. But he didn’t find any crows, Eaton relates. A century later that was completely reversed. (Eaton, II:213) Eaton (1914) listed only stragglers in our region, including: Wolcott, 1875; Sandy Creek, about 1890; shore of Lake Ontario in Monroe County, about 1885. (Eaton II: 212)R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, reported a single sighting: “one bird chased by crows June 22, 1918,” seen by Edson.Another was reported by George Guelf at Hamlin on 19 October 1926. (B&M, p. 320) Beginning in the 1970s they not only increased in the Adirondacks, but began a dramatic range expansion. (Levine, pp. 394-395) The reforestation occurring as a result of abandoned farms no doubt played a major role; so too an increasing deer population, leading to a better supply of carcasses from road kill and coyote predation. (Andrle, p. 286) Lloyd’s 1973 record clearly falls in that time frame. So too the one Jerry Czech saw flying toward his home on Whiting Road, Webster, on 11 July 1977. “I don’t know quite how I knew what it was so instantly; it must have been ESP, but I looked out the window – said to my wife, ‘That thing’s a Raven,’ grabbed the binoculars and ran out of the house.”He watched it fly steadily, quickly in from west, to within 75 yards overhead, showing “an obvious wedge-shaped tail” and appearing nearly twice the size of the three crows mobbing it. Kingbirds joined the crows, reacting much as they would to a large accipiter, which especially interested Czech. “Their reactions must be instinctive because it has probably been many generations in the past since most of their ancestors saw Ravens.” (LG, August 1977)Increased sightings in our region included wanderers at the Lake Ontario shoreline. One first reported in August 1980 even took up residence in Hamlin Beach SP for several months. It was heard and seen off and on through mid-November. “This bird was very secretive, usually keeping to a wooded area on a lake bluff near the west edge of the park,” Robert Spahn noted. “When in the open, it was mobbed by everything, especially crows.” (KB31: 27) The park “must provide all the necessities of life for a transient Raven – isolated dense pine and deciduous woods, shorelines, rocky outcrop bluffs, and perhaps most important of all, a very busy campground with lots of garbage,” added Steve Taylor. (LG, September 1980) Status
The Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as an irregular, very rare visitant. Livingston County, Fox (1998) considered this a (presumably rare permanent resident).
Occurrence
Spring: One on 7 March 1990 (Nicoletti) at Braddock Bay was considered record early. (GOS, May 1990)
Breeding status: There was no evidence of breeding in our region during the first BBA project, when this species was still confined primarily to the Adirondacks, to about 10 blocks in the Catskills, and seven others in the Southern Tier. After that, however, this species “expanded its range suddenly and dramatically and may be found almost anywhere in the state,” Lee Chamberlaine related in 1998. (Levine, p. 394)That is certainly reflected in the results of the second BBA project in our region. Sixteen left a roost at Rattlesnake Hill WMA on 19 January 2002 and breeding was confirmed there that summer. (KB 52:153, 348) In 2004 adults with young were found at Honeoye Lake and at Springwater. (KB54: 336) They were also reported nesting at Letchworth SP where as early as 1999 a family was seen near the Trout Pond. (LG, September 1999) Evidence of breeding was found in no fewer than 19 blocks assigned to Region 2, primarily in higher elevations to the south.

A similar pattern emerged all across New York state, except Long Island and the Great Lakes Plain.
Maxima: 16 on 19 January 2002 (D. Tetlow, Davids) at Rattlesnake Hill. (KB 52:153) 19 on 10 January 2006 (Davids, D. Tetlow) at Rattlesnake Hill. (LG, March 2006) 15 on 21 January 2007 (D. Tetlow, Davids, Fox) Livingston County. (LG, March 2007)

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