At Ridgefield NWR the other day, where I volunteer, I saw a pair of ravens
sitting in a tree where raptors usually sit. And they were behaving very
much like raptors. One was high in the tree, watching, and cawing at the
second one, which was in the lower branches, scanning the ground. Twice
the lower one flew down and picked off a vole. He brought each one back up
into the lower branches of the tree. He killed the first one and left it
sit on a branch while he went back down for the second one, then proceeded
to kill the second one and eat it. When it was partially eaten, he
scooped it up and swallowed the rest of it the way a heron would have. I
didn't see when he started on the second one; perhaps he was saving it for
his mate. I've never seen ravens hunt in this way, other than their
nest-raiding behaviors. It was fascinating. I took a few photos, but I
can't remember the protocol for posting photos on OBOL, so if you'd like to
see them, let me know.
Happy birding, all.
Virginia Scott
virginia.h.scott@xxxxxxxxx
