MSVU: Thousands of American Crows roost together here in fall and winter. As you drive along the edge of Bedford Basin, you'll see small groups of them dispersing across the water. Roll the car windows down and you'll soon hear their dawn chorus. Turn away from the water at Seton Rd. and look up: you'll see crows in the trees, especially on the right. Two small parking lots surrounded by trees on the right will probably put you right in the middle of the roost (if not, follow your ears). It's an awe-inspiring experience to stand in the semidarkness listening to rustling feathers, the continuous rise and fall of wild clamor, and a flapping of wings as dark birds move above you. You are surrounded by thousands of crows. Some are visible in the bare deciduous trees; most just make the evergreens look blacker. Believe me; this is worth getting up for. When you're too cold to stay or the birds have all left, go for a coffee and wait for the sun to come up at the mouth of the basin.

Stop at the Mill Cove Sobey's store on the right, where Moir's Pond shelters gulls and ducks. Then return to the Bedford Highway for a short hop to DeWolfe Park. Turn left down Convoy Run to Waterfront Dr. , then right, and choose any of several parking areas. A short walk to the water's edge gives you a good view of waterbirds congregating at an upwelling of warm water discharged from a local sewage treatment plant. Back on the Bedford Highway again, continue to Hatchery Lane and turn right, then left on Shore Dr. If there are birds here at the mouth of the Sackville River, you can park on the far side of the river under the railway bridge. This is a good site for ducks, as is the next stop, Andrew Cobb Park, reached by proceeding clockwise around the basin on Shore Dr.

If you're up for more birding, carry on and enjoy a walk in Admiral's Cove Park on the left of Shore Dr. Enter by the park sign. Watch for chickadees, nuthatches, juncos, finches, woodpeckers, maybe even a hawk.

TIPS:  In early December, the sun rises about 8AM.
There are a handful of coffee shops and small diners on the Bedford Highway along your route that are open in the early morning.
If you like to watch the sun come up, DeWolfe Park is a good spot to do it.
Admiral's Cove Park is a known site for the deer tick, which carries Lyme disease and other illnesses. If you're there on a particularly warm day, keep this in mind.

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