Ravens have (and may still) nested at Beaver Stadium at Penn State University. Beaver Stadium is the second largest by capacity college football stadium (Michigan Stadium #1- Neyland #3). Here's what an excerpt from the PA Breeding Bird Atlas says, The common raven, formerly considered to be on the brink of extinction in Pennsylvania and elsewhere in the northeast due to intolerance of human activity near its nests, serves to remind us that nature can be very resilient. Although still arguably a signature bird of the wild mountainous regions of Pennsylvania, common ravens have become increasingly acclimated to humans and their alterations of the Pennsylvania landscape—the species can now even be found nesting on “cliffs” provided by the structural framework of Beaver Stadium on The Pennsylvania State University campus and on the high walls of strip mines and quarries in our local region. This description is apt for ravens in Tennessee. Allan Trently ajtcorax@hotmail.comJackson, Madison County, TN From: jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [TN-Bird] ravens nesting at speedway Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2013 12:07:35 -0500 The photo above shows the nest construction and a raven perched nearby. The photo was taken Saturday, 9 Feb 2013, by Tom McNeil. Who would have "thunk" that a pair of Common Ravens would choose a site in the enormous grandstands of the Bristol Motor Speedway to build a nest ? Right here in Sullivan County ! Tom McNeil saw ravens there Friday and then, with J.T. McNeil and Cathy Myers found a pair building a nest there Sat., 9 Feb 2013. Rick Phillips may be one of the least surprised when he read that birders had found a nest at the speedway. Phillips has more than curious evidence that the species nests in the big concrete building structures left behind when TVA abandoned construction of the Phipps Bend Nuclear Power Plant on the Holston River in Hawkins County. Old-time egg collectors in Northeast Tennessee taught us, years ago, that a complete clutch of raven's eggs could be expected in their nest on St. Patrick's Day -- March 17! They nested in the highest elevations, probably well above 4000 feet elevation. Bristol Motor Speedway expects more than 100,000 spectators for a major NASCAR spring race -- the Food City 500 on March 17. The track also has a smaller race the day before and a fan event on March 15 -- three days of NASCAR activities of large proportion. If the ravens can't tolerate the presence of race fans and racing and make it thru this nesting season, they will not make it thru any future years with a nest at the track. Wallace Coffey Bristol, TN
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raven nest BMS Feb 2013.jpg
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