Bart,
Ravens in recent years have been noticed inching closer to the Coastal Plain
(which in general is demarcated by I-95). A few year ago, Kurt and I found a
raven nest in Warrenton, which is pretty unusual for the Piedmont. The birds
nest there each year, and there's no telling how long they were there before
we tripped over them. They're routine in and around Warrenton and in central
to northern Fauquier County. Since then they've been seen at Manassas
Battlefield with some regularity, mostly by Laura Catterton, Sue Heath, Kurt
and
myself, though many others have bumped into them there as well, and we've even
had
them scooting across into Fairfax County up there. A bit further south,
either in winter of 2001 or 2002, Steve Rottenborn, Bob Abrams and I had a
couple
at Prince William County landfill, which is just a long frisbee toss to the
Coastal Plain; they've been seen there since as well, though not quite as
routinely as in other areas. In fall of 2002, Zach Smith had one at Kiptopeke,
which
is an extraordinary record for the actual coast.
As to why they're doing it, that's anyones guess. I suspect that they're
breeding on Bull Run Mountain, as well as maybe on a few towers in the area. I
wouldn't be surprised to hear about them breeding at the quarry between
Centreville and Manassas Battlefield. Still, they tend to "come down" a bit
more in
the winter, and the sightings increase. My guess is that they're doing OK,
and to some extent are expanding their foraging areas, if not their range.
It possibly a different subspecies, but in San Francisco I've had them atop
trash cans on the main streets and in parks, right along the coast. I think
that they're drawn by easy food, which includes landfills, trash, and road
kill.
It will be interesting to see how it plays out over the next decade or so.
Cheers,
Todd Day
Jeffersonton, VA
BlkVulture@xxxxxxx
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