Raven...

I have always been fascinated by crows, and recently have witnessed several Ravens, even more interesting because they are less common, and larger. I feed the crows here, and when a Raven passes through the crows all try to chase it away.

A few days ago a big raven landed in the pasture when I was working. My daughter spied it first. It hopped across the grass a bit, then stuck its head under some brush. It emerged with an egg that a naughty chicken had hidden clutched firmly in its bill.



Raven populations are on the rise.

According to the site http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Raven/lifehistory "The intriguing Common Raven has accompanied people around the Northern Hemisphere for centuries, following their wagons, sleds, sleighs, and hunting parties in hopes of a quick meal. Ravens are among the smartest of all birds, gaining a reputation for solving ever more complicated problems invented by ever more creative scientists. These big, sooty birds thrive among humans and in the back of beyond, stretching across the sky on easy, flowing wingbeats and filling the empty spaces with an echoing croak."

I love to hear that distinctive croaking sound when a raven is in the area.



Even when they steal my eggs!



This is also from the above site: "People the world over sense a certain kind of personality in ravens. Edgar Allan Poe clearly found them a little creepy. The captive ravens at the Tower of London are beloved and perhaps a little feared: legend has it that if they ever leave the tower, the British Empire will crumble. Native people of the Pacific Northwest regard the raven as an incurable trickster, bringing fire to people by stealing it from the sun, and stealing salmon only to drop them in rivers all over the world."

The wildlife here fascinates me. Even the large, croaking, egg stealing wildlife.