[Bristol-Birds] Fw: raceway raven reverie

From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Bristol-birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2013 13:20:37 -0500
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Don Holt 
To: bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
Sent: February 13, 2013 11:03
Subject: [Bristol-Birds] raceway raven reverie


random thoughts on raceway ravens:  (REPLIES FROM WALLACE COFFEY)

what are the instinctively preferred characteristics of a raven's nesting site
REPLY: they need an overhang over ledges in more natural areas and they get 
that from grandstand at BMS

are there not enough natural nesting sites in our area for an expanding raven 
population
REPLY: Dr. Dick Peake has told me they have been found nesting in trees in Wise 
Co. VA.  They also nest in trees in many parts of their range.  They are 
frequently seen in many areas of Sullivan Co. during the nesting season and I 
have often suspected they nest in trees and we are just not alert because most 
of us are not aware.

do ravens instinctively seek out novel nesting sites as a way of adapting to 
local conditions

do ravens learn to avoid certain nesting site types after failed attempts

will the decision about what to do about the raceway nest and/or raven pair be 
made by upper management or by maintenance personnel
REPLY: I suppose some upper management level at first.

whoever decides, will they know the difference between crows and ravens, and 
will it make a difference in their decision

would it make a difference in TWRA input should it be solicited
REPLY:  I think BMR would call TWRA right off the bat to make sure they are 
covering their legal requirements.  Especially if the public or media is 
talking to raceway management about this.  TWRA's response would depend on who 
they talk to in the agency and what the integrity of that person might be.
TWRA could be more of a problem than a soluation for the ravens.  Politics 
matters :-)

wouldn't it be good to educate those involved in order to ensure survival of 
the breeding pair even though the nest might need to be sacrificed
REPLY:  If you mean education in order to ensure survival (such as BMR not 
shooting or killing the ravens), I don't think survival of the adults will be 
an issue at the raceway.

are the ravens in question the same ones we have been hearing from the Slagle 
Hollow side of Steele Creek park for the last few months.
REPLY: of course this, also, is simply an opinion but I wouldn't be surprised.  
Slagle Hollow is  2.8 miles north from the BMR raven nest to Jackson's Camp in 
Slagle Hollow.  They travel over wide areas and great distance from their nest 
-- at least as far as we can see at mountain cliff sites.  Kevin Hamed has 
regularly reported seeing birds coming from the east over his house near 
Middlebrook Lake and going to feed at the Bristol Virginia regional landfill.  
They are traveling a great distance (this is winter).  I am not sure how far 
they will travel during nesting but I think it would be a couple of miles.

Don Holt
Steele Creek Park, Bristol, TN
[Bristol-Birds] Fw: raceway raven reverie

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