Merlin identifies this as a fish crow. It landed behind me on the pier. It grabbed something small from the deck of the pier. I am thinking it may have been part of a left over fish. Men have been catching stripers from that spot. Otherwise, it could have been a spot of food it cached. They are know to cache extra food in grass and crevices among other spots.
I was lucky enough to see this bird up close. Fish crows can be found along the east coast and up the Hudson River Valley all year in areas around beaches, marshes, estuaries, lakes, and rivers. We are in its year round range.
They are omnivores. They will eat eggs and young of other birds, water creatures such as crabs and turtle eggs that they dig up. They also harass and steal food from crows, gulls, ospreys, etc. I made a previous post about a crow chasing an osprey who was carrying a fish. Have a great Sunday!
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