"Ravens in the City Forest"

From the Smithsonian Handbooks,

Birds of New England,

by Fred J. Alsop III

The Common Raven: Corvus Corax

Wing Span- 46-56 inches

Length- 24-26 inches

The common Raven is a magnificent flier and is the aerial equal of hawks and falcons, and is the largest passerine, or perching bird in North America. If any bird truly enjoys flying to the point of playing in the air, it must be the raven. They are intelligent and resourceful hunters and scavengers. Groups of ravens have been observed working together to capture prey that is too large for one bird to conquer. It is a revered totem and spirit to many Native Americans.

Appearance: Adults are glossy and black overall and have a huge "Roman nose". the shaggy throat feathers can be elevated or sleeked down. The female is similar to the male, but smaller.

Vocalizations: a variety of vocalizations, some quite musical (I personally haven't heard a musically talented Raven as of yet). Most often their vocalizations are croaking, drawling croooaaak or cur-ak. (I give the example of a parrot croak) or a metallic Tok, (which I describe as a tongue clicking on the inside of the beak, similar to a human "tok" raising the tongue to the roof of the mouth, sucking in and pressing the tongue and then releasing it creating the "Tok" sound.)

Behavior: They are tame, quick-learners, and are usually solitary or in pairs. They also may appear in small groups as well. (definitely not in my case). Ravens are gregarious in the winter, when it may occur in large foraging flocks and nightly communal roosts (sounds more like the crows around here than the Ravens, which seem far and few between). They are omnivorous... They are active foragers, scavengers and hunters. They eat a variety of small invertebrates, from tadpoles and shell fish, to worms and insects. They also eat many small vertebrates such as minnows, eggs, and young from other birds, rodents, as well as carrion and refuse.

Flight: They have an elaborate courtship flight with great displays of acrobatics, and pair flying, male above female, wing tip to wing tip, and heads touching. (Very romantic!)

They are strong fliers, often rising in circles, alternates deep wing beats with long glides or soaring on flat wings like a hawk, and like to soar on thermals and updrafts.

Breeding: They are monogamous and mate for life. They are solitary; they gather in small loose colonies in the north. (just not here).

Nesting: Raven eggs are greenish or gray-green eggs with brown or olive spots, and are subelliptical to long oval in shape, 2x1.4 inches.Incubation 18-21 days by the female. Altricial young stay in the nest for 38-44 days. They are brooded by the female and fed by both sexes. They may have between 3-7 eggs. They have 1 brood a year.

The nest is made of branches and sticks on the outside; a cup made of small sticks and lined with bark chips, animal hair, sheep's wool, lichens and mosses, seaweed and grass. The nest may be located on a cliff near water, in the mountains, or in a fork of a tree about 45- 80 feet above the ground. The nest is built by both male and female.

Population: They are common, expanding into California and into the Appalachians into areas where birds have been extirpated.

Conservation: In the past, the raven was shot, trapped and poisoned for alleged damage to wild game and domesticated animals. (They haven't tried to eat us yet!)

Let me introduce the Raven family to you. I believe that I originally met Mr. Raven this past winter, and took some very fine pictures of him posing on a dead tree, surrounded with snow lined branches. I did not have my best camera with me, but the photos turned out quite well just the same.

I was aware of these birds in the City Forest for a couple of summers now, but did not know that they WERE actually Ravens. We heard them calling back and forth (only 2) to each other, and never heard more than 2 out there. I had never heard a Raven before and was able to identify the face with the sound. This past winter when I finally got to meet face-to-beak, I heard his call, and then heard his "Tok-Tok" sound that sounds like a tongue on the inside of the beak. This is a tell-tale sign that this bird was indeed a Raven and not a lesser bird.

So, my Raven and his love interest have apparently been busy this past spring raising a couple of babies. These babies are presently trying to find their wings and learn how to eat on their own. Don't get me wrong... as you can see in these pictures (that include at least one of the babies) these chicks are quite big now. They tend to flutter their wings around clumsily while trying to balance on branches, and call back and forth with their parents. One can hear the high pitched gravely call of these babies, and then the lower calls of the grown-ups. My sister tells me that these birds probably know me and my dog by now (and my friend and her dogs) and see us as no threat. They commonly hang out in a few dead trees next to Bog Brook between East Trail and the Main Road, or off towards the bog. I have even seen them IN the bog. I took these incredible pictures of the Raven family this past week. I can never tell the detail of the photos until I get home and view them on the big screen. At that point, I am often amazed at the clarity my camera has even when photographing from a distance. Of course, the further away I am when I zoom in, the less clarity there is. You can see that decreased clarity in my hawk pictures from earlier this spring. (Those will be posted later).

Anyway, I hope you enjoy these rare close-ups of the Ravens. For those who believe that Crows and Ravens are the same, perhaps you will finally get to see the difference. I only wish you could hear it as well!

Stay tuned for a post describing the American Crow!