Lots and lots of ravens.
Usually there are a couple sitting on rooftops, crowing and cackling with their very loud voices.
But I heard a lot of todo and saw a couple of low-level swoops this morning so I went to the window to check on them.
What I saw was a veritable cloister of ravens.
A quick count revealed at least nine of them in my front yard and across the street.
They were all on the ground, strutting around and talking raven talk.
A check with the Almighty Google leads me to believe most, if not all, were young ones who hadn't picked out a mate as yet.
As the Google noted they were picking up sticks and twigs and leaves and then discarding them, apparently to determine which were useful.
I eased the front door open to get a better look but I haven't greased the hinges yet and the sound scared them all off.
A short time later, I spotted a trio sitting for a long time on a neighbor's wall, cackling along in their chuck-a-whuck-a-cack-a way of communicating, no doubt comparing notes on their morning's adventure.
I know some people will say these are crows.
They're not.
They're ravens.
And, yes, referring back to the title of this post, I know the word in the Poe poem is "Nevermore."
And all of this as you toiled weak and weary?
ReplyDeleteThey are hilarious! Maybe all that 'hunting and gathering' of sticks is to show the ladies what great husbands they would make. They are cleaning up all my dropped plums so I'm happy to have them. Unlike the hummingbirds and finches, they are skittish and it doesn't take much to make them fly off.
ReplyDeleteWhen we lived in the condo, hundreds of Ravens lived in the neighborhood. They were bold, they swooped across the my patio at eye level and dropped deposits everywhere. I got up from the patio table to get a beer and they took my sandwich off the plate. That was the last straw for me. I bought a soft air pistol and shot one of them while it was sitting in a tree eyeing a plate of fruit. I nailed him in his Raven ass from about 35 feet away, he flapped and squawked and flew away. He must have spread the word because he and his pals stayed away from my patio after that. I enjoy them from a distance, but...
ReplyDeleteRaven's tend to look llike large versions of crows, though much smaller. Their beaks are larger given the size, and the sound is harsher, their squawk. Most notable about them, up here in the north, is their propensity for frolicking in the cold.. minus 30 sees them on the trees and power lines, seeming to enjoy the cold temps.
ReplyDelete"...suddenly there came a rapping, as if someone gently tapping, tapping on my chamber door. Tis the Catalyst and nothing more.
ReplyDeleteNothing to worry about until they start tapping on your chamber door.
ReplyDeleteI've heard of a "Murder" of crows, I just Googled Ravens and a group is called an "Unkindness" of Ravens.
ReplyDeleteHere in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the country, we only have murders, not unkindnesses. Only crows. But they're as big as chickens.
ReplyDelete