An Unkindness of Ravens
Often when I sit at my workspace I look out the window and see several big black ravens (each about 24-25” long) swooping between the tall pine trees. I feel like I’m in the middle of a sci-fi movie by Stephen King or Alfred Hitchcock! Sometimes the Ravens huddle in trees or on the ground. Other times they will be alone or with their mate. Today there were 15 of them (an unkindness of Ravens) foraging at the corner where our street intersects another. Evenings bring the ‘raven patrol’ where they fly and land in their favorite trees. Quite a site! Once in a while, one will come to the feeder and grab a peanut! They communicate with each other using an amazing variety of calls that range from a low gurgling croak to harsh grating sounds and shrill alarm calls that can be heard a mile away. The Common Raven has a very thick bill, shaggy throat and a wedge-shaped tail. This member of the crow family is incredibly aerobatic, tumbling and rolling, in mid air. Many scienti