BLACKBIRD FLOCKS 
     
    
   
   
    
     The Blackbirds form roosts where they congregate to spend the 
     
     night. Females, with the exception of female cowbirds, do not 
     
    

    
     go to these roosts during the nesting season. One such roost in 
     
     Allisary (a small area on the eastern outskirts of Mount Stewart) 
     
     was visited on May 29, 1967. The birds started to arrive an hour 
     
     or so before sundown, in singles and pairs and small flocks. The 
     
     birds approached the roost and dropped down into the lower branches, 
     
     a marked contrast to their behavior at other times when they perch 
     
     at the very top of trees. This is a spruce woodlot, about one 
     
     acre or better, very thick and about 20 feet tall, and about 1/4 
     
     mile from habitation. Birds seen included Red-winged Blackbirds, 
     
     Bronzed Grackles, some Cowbirds and one bird that looked like a 
     
     Starling. Another roost was visited on June 2, 1963 in the 
     
     vicinity of the heronry at Alexandra. Both Bronzed Grackles and 
     
     European Starlings were seen arriving just at dusk. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Another roost just to the north of Mount Stewart North was 
     
     visited on July 19, 1965. This area of alders with a few larch. 
     
     poplar and spruce, had an extensive roost of Bronzed Grackles, 
     
     European Starlings and Red-winged Blackbirds. The number of 
     
     Grackles was impressive. The Starlings noted came in several 
     
     small flocks with a dive that would do Teal justice. 
     
    
   
   
    
     On September 14, 1964, it was noted that for the past month a 
     
     large mixed flock of approximately 1,000 birds flew east out of 
     
     the roost in the mornings, and west into the roost in the evenings. 
     
     On September 25, 1967, 7:15 A.M., 2,000+ Starlings flew south 
     
    

    
     from the roost and over Mount Stewart. The author remembers 
     
     seeing a large flock of Blackbirds flying over his farm from the 
     
     roost. The flock was strung out for approximately 3/4 of a mile. 
     
     When they were overhead, the lead birds dropped 20-30 feet in 
     
     elevation: then they levelled out and continued flying in a 
     
     straight line. All the birds of the flock, when they came to the 
     
    
   
   
    
     same spot, lost the same amount of elevation.