Rambunctious Ravens

Have I mentioned the family of Common Raven (Corvus corax) that have decided to be our neighbors this year? I’m still uncertain as to where the actual nest was located, but the now fledged juveniles and parents have included the area around our home in part of their daily foraging activities. Ravens (like hawks and owls) invest a lot of time in the raising of their offspring and continue to feed them well beyond the time they can fly and have reached their adult size. So, imagine if you will, the entire family of seven jet black birds — each about two feet long with a wingspan of a little less than four feet — hopping around on the ground, flapping, begging and croaking loudly at one another. They have a rather dependable schedule of landing in front of our cabin just as the sun is setting. As far as I can tell, they then proceed to forage on the ground for the small fruits that have been falling from the heavy-laden ornamental plum trees. The clamor is impressive and the spectacle is well worth watching.

Now that I am feeling better (FINALLY!!), I’ll do my best to get some decent pics to share with you guys. In the meantime though, I had some fun creating this bit of digital art from various in-flight images. **Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version.** I think I was imagining polka dots when I first started creating, but looking at the finished piece I find myself fantasizing about a sky filled with countless moons as ravens wing their way home to roost for the night….