DEAR SUN SPOTS: I am hoping you can answer this question for me. Have you noticed all those pesky crows hanging around? Where did they come from and when are they going to go away? They are everywhere! I especially see them in the early morning and the evening. They are leaving a mess everywhere. Has anyone else noticed this? Thank you! — Jody B., brierjody@hotmail.com

ANSWER: The Sun Journal gets calls every winter about the huge flocks of crows that gather around L-A, including in the trees around the Sun Journal. Crows, along with other breeds of birds, gather in large groups in the winter to roost, which is why you see them late and early in the day. Once the breeding season starts, they will begin to disperse.

Cornell University has a website full of fascinating facts about crows at http://tinyurl.com/2c6ywh, including several hypotheses about why crows congregate in such large numbers. Some of the theories include protection from predators and gathering around a food source.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I was ice fishing on Sabbathday Lake on a recent weekend and witnessed something for the first time. There was a flock of about 50 white birds circling overhead. They were high enough that I could not identify them. I am sure they were not gulls. Perhaps your readers can explain this. — Chris Noetzel, cnoet@myfairpoint.net

ANSWER: Sun Spots would have guessed gulls. Maybe readers will have other ideas.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I have enjoyed the eagle cam on the Internet the past few years, watching the eagles raise their young. I cannot see anything on the site now. This is the time of year that the eagles mate and start to prepare their nests. Any help will be appreciated. — Fran Sawtelle, frans@gwi.net

ANSWER: Sun Spots visited the eagle cam website (http://tinyurl.com/2gjlxq) and saw no sign of the eagles either. She then visited the accompanying blog. The last entry, from April 2010, said that while the eagles had been sighted, there was no sign of nesting activity. So apparently the eagles have found a better place to raise their young.

There are other eagle cams. Sun Spots checked out several. The Outdoor Channel has one based in West Virginia (http://tinyurl.com/yl64784), there’s another in Washington state (http://tinyurl.com/kk37q), one in the Channel Islands (http://tinyurl.com/2jgota), as well as another in Maryland (http://tinyurl.com/2tcajg), where the eaglets have already hatched.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I have been approached about starting a honey bee club in Oxford Hills and the surrounding area. The first meeting will be held at Fair Share on Main Street in Norway in the public gathering room at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 12. The topic will be how to get started with honey bees. The session will be open to your thoughts on bees. — John E. Seilonen, Norway, 743-5009

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Your readers are invited to a St. Patrick’s Day dinner with all of the fixings at 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 17, at the American Legion.

A $5 donation is requested at the door, with all of the proceeds going to Hospice. This event is sponsored by the S.G. Thibault Funeral Home.

Please RSVP to 364-4366 by March 15. — Nancy via e-mail

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I am in the process of cleaning house and found I have quite a lot of basket-weaving materials to give away. I could possibly meet anyone interested in this in either the Lewiston-Auburn or Mexico-Rumford regions. There is too much to mail. Thanks, Sun Spots, for all you do in the community. — Connie, cb04224@yahoo.com

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Please include your phone number. Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be e-mailed to sunspots@sunjournal.com.

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