In late 1831, John James Audubon organized an expedition to re-trace the path that John Bartram (1699-1777) blazed to explore the St. Johns River. By February of 1832, Audubon and the crew aboard Spark reached Spring Garden Lake. Audubon noted seeing “flocks of Fish-Crows” consisting of several hundred individuals, sailing high in the air, somewhat in the manner of the Raven, when the whole appeared paired, for I could see that, although in such numbers, each pair moved distinctly apart. These aerial excursions would last for hours.” Since the birds appear extremely similar, knowing for sure the aerial excursions were Fish crows and not American crows (Plate 156) would have also required hearing their calls.
When conversing, “The common note of the Fish-Crow is different from that of the other species of the genus, resembling the syllables ha, ha, hae, frequently repeated. At times the sound of their voice seems as if a faint mimicry of that of the Common [present-day American] Crow; at others, one would suppose that they are troubled with a cough or cold.” The note or cry of the American crow, “may be imitated by the syllables caw, caw, caw, being different from the cry of the European Carrion Crow, and resembling the distant bark of a small dog.” Today, Fish crows call out and carry out their excursions in far fewer numbers than for hours at a time.