Thanks to all for sharing your wonderful stories of raven acrobatics and more! - Linda > On Jan 18, 2021, at 9:53 AM, Jane Stein <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > Great story, Ian! Thanks very much. > > Jane > (Shoreham) > > On Mon, 18 Jan 2021 09:39:15 -0500, Ian Worley <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >> Years ago while doing wildland surveys in remote parts of southeastern >> Alaska I encountered three ravens on a single utility wire in a small, >> essentially roadless, fishing village. Ravens were everywhere, and >> their antics were just as Maeve has described. >> >> One bird, which I took to be a female, was perched on the wire. The >> other two, which I took to being males were coming and going to the >> wire, shuffling along the wire to cozy up with the female .... who would > >> skitter further down the wire. Then one of the males took flight and >> went through some aerobatic maneuvers overhead and then landed right by >> the female who moved away. The second male then took his turn and did >> some definitely serious flips, wing-overs, spiral dives, and zooms. He >> too landed on the wire, and she-the-audience again skittered away. >> >> After another round or two of this, one of the males landed a couple of >> feet from the female. The other male had distanced several feet away. >> The landing male was croaking away and began to rock back and forth on >> the wire, back and forth more vigorously, then suddenly on one of the >> rocking backwards just kept going and started spinning around the wire >> backwards, hanging on with his feet, faster and faster. After a few >> more revolutions he let go, being tossed airborne from the wire in one >> chaotic dizzy finale. He restored himself and returned to land >> victorious by the female. But there was only an empty wire ........ she > >> had left during the performance, apparently having had enough. >> >> Ian >> ========================================= >> >> On 1/18/2021 8:12 AM, Maeve Kim wrote: >>> One time in southeastern Oregon, a group of us watched 15 ravens >>> playing: sometimes two of them gripping talons and tumbling' sometimes >>> one climbing high and then diving straight for the ground and pulling > up >>> just in time; sometimes two or three passing a stick or a feather back >>> and forth, one dropping it, another picking it up, flying a bit and > then >>> dropping it. We watched for over a half hour, and the birds were still >>> romping when we finally left. - I think omnivores, like all the > Corvids, >>> have much more time on their hands than the birds who have to spend all >>> of every single day just getting enough food to stay alive. The > corvidae >>> have used that extra time to think, reason, problem-solve, communicate > - >>> and play! >>> Maeve Kim, Jericho Center >>> >>>> On Jan 17, 2021, at 9:44 PM, Linda Gionti <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >>>> >>>> A week ago I saw something I’ve never witnessed before: 2 ravens that >>>> appeared to have their claws locked together tumbling end over end in >>>> free fall. They broke apart just above the treetops. I’d read about >>>> eagles and other raptors doing that, but didn’t know that ravens do it >>>> as well. From the little bit I’ve read it sounds like it can be either >>>> courtship or conflict… for raptors anyway. I’d be interested in > hearing >>>> whether others have seen this kind of display from ravens. >>>> >>>> Linda Gionti, Hanksville >