I’ve been watching the Ravens Corvus corax playing in the wind, soaring and dancing on currents over the house across the street. I love Ravens, their sleek glossy beauty and their intelligence. The corvids are the brains in the bird world, and Ravens are probably the brains of the corvids. How someone could not love their antics or their playfulness is beyond me, although ask me again the next time I pickup garbage after they’ve busted through the defences once again.
I’ve lived in places that Ravens were plentiful at most times during my life. I remember well a Raven that lived near the Golf Course in Roblin that would swoop in, steal your golf ball and drop it, along with hundreds of others in the neighbouring farmer’s field. I’m sure he or she delighted in the game, what else could it be but a game?
My running route in Thompson Manitoba used to take me by an apartment block where one of the tenants used to tie his dog to a plug in post in the parking lot. Every morning a Raven would be dancing just out of the dogs reach, just beyond the length of his chain. While the dog strained at his chain trying to get this dancing bird, four or five other Ravens would be at his dish eating his morning meal. I’m sure the owner must have long wondered why his dog never gained any weight.
The Raven is our most conspicuous full time bird, thriving in the dark season. There are of course easy meals to be had around the community but even pre settlement time they thrived, following the polar bear and eating his scraps. They have the same relationship with wolves and in both cases have been shown to lead both of these predators to food, helping in the hunt. There is no end to their ingenuity when it comes to meal time and I’ve seen two Ravens bouncing on the lid of a plastic garbage can until it sprung open. Leave a box with food unattended and they will uncanningly find it, and rip a hole in it in seconds. When I worked cargo at First Air we had one that would seemingly materialize out of thin air, the moment we took the cargo out of the warehouse and walked away from the truck.
I had three Ravens that I was trying to rehabilitate after injuries when I was living in Fort Providence. The first was a very interesting character, who had bitten me hard when I first picked him up after some kids had flagged me down and showed me where he was. We had a merry little chase around some fuel tanks, and when I grabbed him, he grabbed me. He got me right on the little flap of skin between my thumb and index finger and would not let go, until eventually I had to pull my hand out, leaving a little wedge shaped piece of flesh missing from my hand. One tetenus shot later I was as good as new, with a whole new appreciation for the power of a beak honed on opening food boxes.
I had a small enclosure built to house him sitting outside my house, and I fed him, amongst other things, dog food. I began noticing that everyday another Raven would come and visit him, and sit outside his cage for quite some time. One day while I was doing dishes I saw the visitor arrive and watched in amazement as "my" Raven picked up pieces of dog food from his dish and dropped them through the mesh of the cage, feeding his friend. "Eat, there’s lots more where this came from".
I purposely used "play" in the first line of this post as Ravens have been shown to play, and I believe that much of what they do is purely for their own entertainment. Ravens have even been filmed walking up large piles of snow and sliding down on their backs. How could you not love a bird that enjoys life that much.
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3 responses
What a wonderful story! We love the ravens, too, and watch them nest and raise their young every year. I’m glad that you appreciate their vital role in the ecosystem, as is the wolf’s and bear’s who help to feed the raven, etc etc etc. Have you read Bernd Heinrichs’ books on ravens? You would love them.
Thanks Trix,
I haven’t read the Heinrichs’ books, although I will. The Ravens in Winter looks so familiar that I may just have it amongst my unread books hidden away in the Seacan. One book I enjoyed, more of a coffee table book sort of thing, was Candace Savage’s Bird Brains, a photo essay on the Corvids.
Clare, I also like to watch ravens. I post about them from time to time in my blog. It’s true they can try your patience some times, but all and all they can be a barrel of laughs.
http://birdtlc.blogspot.com/2005/05/i-got-my-raven-of-many-colors.html