Going to Alaska for RAVENS THEN EARTHQUAKE!

The BIGGEST and BOLDEST ravens I ever saw were in Alaska.  We went on a Princess Cruise out of San Francisco bound for Alaska.  It was so beautiful up there, the last frontier for the United States.  So much undeveloped land, so many ravens.  In Sitka I saw a REALLY big raven calling to me, well I KNOW he was calling to ME.  We took a walk in the beautiful temperate rain forest and there were many ravens flitting about and making those wonderful raven sounds.  I got some cool raven souvenirs too.
When some friends said recently that they were going on a cruise to Alaska, I said" I want to go BACK" and so we did.  This time we flew to Seattle and got on the Princess ship headed to Alaska.  We visited towns all along the inland passage and every day was sunny and warm.  We were told that they had had only two days of sunny weather all summer.  We really lucked out.  The train ride in Skagway that follows the trail to the Yukon gold strike of 1898 was absolutely breathtaking!   Everywhere we went was scenic and lovely,  BUT- no ravens were seen at most of the places that we visited.  I was so disappointed.  The exceptions were at Ketchikan and Juneau.
 At Ketchikan the salmon were running in their yearly return to the place of their birth.  There are five different varieties of salmon and the sockeye is my favorite.  Their color is so red and beautiful.  The creeks were full of returning salmon.  Most were busy swimming up stream.  Further up stream we found many dying salmon.  The ravens were competing with the bald eagles for a share of the dying salmon.  The raven gives way to the eagle and I can understand why- they are really big birds!  But raven was getting his share and flying off with hunks of salmon.
Our visit to Juneau included a visit to the Mendenhall Glacier.  This was a sight to see.  The melting ice of the glacier has formed a beautiful lake below the glacier.  One could see the fantastic blue color of the glacial ice from the viewing spots at the visitor center.  We walked around and came to a creek feeding into the lake.  There were many salmon swimming in the creek and the melodious sound of raven song in the trees.  That was very nice.  I enjoyed it all.
Our ship returned to Seattle on August 24th, a Sunday.  We were taken to the airport from the ship to await our flight home.  We got settled at the airport gate for our long wait.  Our ship came in at 7:30 AM and our flight to Sacramento wasn't until 2:20 PM.  I noticed on the TV screen near our seats that CNN was announcing that an earthquake had occurred in California.  I told Chuck I was going to go over to the TV and see where the earthquake was located.  I nearly fainted when I saw it was in Napa!!!!  I was really upset.  We had many hours to wait until we could get on the plane and make our way home.  I could only imagine what the damage to our home would be.  Our home on Mt. Veeder had survived the earthquake of 2000 with no damage, but the homes in the neighborhood where we now live had suffered serious damage in 2000.  Now in 2014, another earthquake!!!
We managed to get our daughter, Lexy, on the cell phone and she said she was going up to the house to check on the cat (big Jack) and the house.  She called later and said that there was a lot of broken glass and a big mess in the kitchen from the refrigerator opening and dumping the contents on the floor.  Furniture was moved around, fallen stuff everywhere and no cat could be found.  So with that news we waited for our plane.
We got home to Napa at 6:30 PM.  Lexy had cleaned up the kitchen and  dumped a large amount of broken glass in the garbage cans.  She was good to do all this as our homecoming would have been much worse had the kitchen been a really big mess.  We had stopped on the way home in Vacaville for groceries because she had warned us that all the grocery stores were closed in Napa.  We all had dinner and called it a day.  What a day.  After Lexy left I walked the neighborhood looking for Jack.  Lexy had had all the doors open while she cleaned to let the odor of spilled liquids out (crème-de-mint, pickle juice and ranch dressing all mixed together).  I figured that Jack had run out the door while the getting was good.  I could not find him so I finally gave up and came home.  When I got inside the house I heard a little meow- he crawled out of all the stuff that had dumped in one of the closets.  I was so glad to see him!!
The next day Chuck checked for structural damage and found none.  We are so lucky.  So many people have catastrophic damage.  Two story homes were hit the hardest, some in our small cul-de-sac.
I was so happy to be home.  It took several days to pick up/clean up/ install latches on the kitchen doors/ straps to furniture and get back to normal life.  To celebrate I put a chicken egg out in the platform feeder.  It has disappeared!  Could it be raven?? He is the only bird around here that can fly off with an egg.  The platform feeder has a squirrel guard so no mammal can get up to the feeder.  I like to think a raven has visited me on my return to the Napa Valley.

SAD RAVEN DAY AT BODEGA BAY

Yesterday was such a beautiful day.  We went to our music lessons near Sebastopol and then decided  to drive over to Bodega Bay for lunch at the Tides Restaurant. We were seated right in front of the window which looks out on to the bay.   During lunch I noticed a curious thing.  Every once in awhile I would see the surface of an area of water start to roil.  What was this?  There was no wind and the bay was smooth as glass.  This made the disturbance on the surface of the water very noticeable and unusual- UNTIL- wham up came the head of a shiny black seal.  With the seal came dozens of 6 inch silvery fish flying up into the air.  The fish were trying to escape the jaws of the seal.  Chuck thought they might be anchovies.  It was a sight to see and was repeated numerous times as the seal cruised back and forth in front of our front row seat in the window.  He certainly had a successful fishing day.

After lunch we drove up to Bodega Head State Park.  We parked our van so that we could open the back and lay about in the back and look out at the ocean.  The weather was perfect.  I got out of the van and started looking around for my raven pair that live at the park.  No raven pair in sight.  This was unusual as they are generally cruising the area looking for food.  It was then that we noticed a large lone raven sitting on a pile of dead vegetation on the edge of a cliff.  What was so odd about it was that very near raven was a large group of people whale watching with noisy dogs and kids.  Normally a raven would not hang around this bunch.  But there raven sat.  

We then decided to go for a walk up the cliff path and passed the raven.  From this vantage point I could look at the pile of vegetation where raven was sitting.  We thought as improbable as it might be, that perhaps it was a nest.  But no, it was not a raven nest.  When we came back down from our walk, raven was gone. This gave me an opportunity to go over and look at the spot where raven had been sitting on the vegetation. And there I saw it, the remains of a mature raven.  I moved away from the spot and raven came back and took up the watch.  It appeared that he did not want the seagulls to get to the raven remains.  I talked to a couple who had been at the park the day before.  They said that raven had been sitting there all day that day also.  It was a sad spectacle.

I wondered what this behavior signified.  Was it mourning?  Was it to protect a food source?  When I got home I looked in my numerous books on Corvus corax and could not find a reference to death of a mate.

Perhaps I will gain an understanding of this behavior one day.  For now I can say it was a sad day for raven and for me on Bodega Head.

Visit with Bold and Shy

It was a beautiful day so we decided to take a ride up Mt. Veeder way to pick up some rocks and take some food to the raven pair.  Our former neighbors are now feeding the ravens the food that I bring up for them.  They are enjoying their visits and learning about their behavior.  I buy 
big bags of peanuts for them at Costco and always take some chicken eggs.  When we got to their home I could hear the ravens off in the distance.  So I stood on their deck and yelled RAVENS really loud.  A few minutes later, here they came.  I put peanuts along the edge of the wooden deck.  They wanted the peanuts but would not come down with the four of us sitting on the deck.  They flew over our heads back and forth, what a lovely sight to see.  I just love to hear their calls. It was a lovely day and a lovely visit and I collected some rocks for my rose garden as well . All is well on Mt Veeder but we wish we would get more rain to sustain the wells and springs that people depend on for water.
Would a rain dance help?  I look out each morning at the sky for signs of rain.  The other night I dreamed it was raining so I got up to look, no rain, so sad.  There is still hope as some rain may still. come before summer arrives.  Oh that it might rain, I love the sound on the roof.

Fun Raven visits to Mt. Veeder

On Friday afternoon we went up to Mt. Veeder to visit our former next door neighbors.  They have a lovely deck and I was enjoying myself when I heard the ravens somewhere in the neighborhood.  I began calling RAVENS, RAVENS, and here they came.  I walked down to the meadow to see the ravens and to put out a treat.  They were very agitated however and flew off.  I was very disappointed not be to able to spend some time with them.  Then I HEARD the problem.  I heard a crow calling.  The raven pair DO NOT like it when crows try to invade their territory.  This had happened when we were living next door.  Crows tried to come into our little creek canyon environment and the ravens succeeded in running them off.  Looks like it was happening again.  There was alot of cawing and croaking going on.  In the end the crow/crows left and the juvenile ravens started coming in for the night.  Quite a few were flying about checking out the redwood trees for the perfect over night tree.  How wonderful to see nature close up.  Thus fell the night with all the ravens tucked up safely in a redwood tree.  How lucky is that?
Next day we went to a wonderful barbq party across the way and down hill a bit from our former residence.  There is a raven pair that lives in the vicinity. They are fed treats by our wonderful former neighbor who used to take care of Andy cat.   These ravens were flying all around and very close to me.  The hosts of the party have two very tall poles with red and white flags located by their swimming pool.  A raven sat on the top of each pole and looked quite majestic.  I was sorry to hear that their two daughters, 12 and 14 years of age, are afraid of the birds.  Ravens and black birds in general get such a bad rap in western European and thus American derived culture.  So different from the Northwest Indian tribes of the North American continent who had it right.  Raven brought the sun and thus the light to the world.  That is what I prefer to believe.

Summertime RAVEN Idyll Ends

It was a sad day, September 30, 2013, when we moved our belongings out of the Lokoya cabin and headed for home in the flat lands of Napa Valley.  Bold and Shy raven sat very quietly on a tree branch above us as we moved our few possessions out of the cabin and stowed them in the car.  It was like a repeat of the day three years ago when we left our home on Mt. Veeder.  I swear they knew what was happening and they were very solemn.  I left them lots of peanuts and three eggs.  As we left I saw that they were on the deck railing enjoying the bounty of peanuts in the shell.  I had two months to enjoy their company and the very beautiful views from the cabin deck and for this I am very grateful.  I also enjoyed the opportunity to paint watercolors without any distractions of normal life (laundry and all that).  So all and all it was a lovely experience which I hope to repeat next year.  As ravens live 35 years, I hope Bold and Shy will still be around next year.  This afternoon I am going up to Mt. Veeder to visit my former next door neighbors.  The raven pair often hang around their house and root around in a spot below their deck.  I am taking a couple of eggs just in case.  I will yell RAVENS and see if they appear.  Could be a good thing.

RAVEN FUN CONTINUES!

What fun it is to be back up on Mt. Veeder.  The weather has been great and the views from the TOP of the World have been spectacular!  We usually go up to the mountain in mid morning.  We take our lunch then settle down on the deck to enjoy the view.  Chuck likes to read and I like to paint watercolor post cards to send to my grandaughter.  She really appreciates them- she is 14 months old and wants to eat them.
I begin my sojourn on the deck by yelling RAVEN- don't the neighbors love this!  They know a wacky woman is up there.  However, not to worry, Lokoya Lodge is full of interesting people.  If I can hear raven sounds, I know Bold and Shy are nearby.  If I can't hear them, I call anyway, and lo and behold they show up.  The sit in a tree branch over our heads and observe us.  There are those HUMANS that have the eggs.  How can we get an egg out of them?  So I very obediently put two chicken eggs out.  I place one on the deck railing with some peanuts in the shell and the other egg on a tree stump located behind where we sit.  We cannot see the stump without turning around.  So now the fun begins.  Bold raven flies over to a tree near the stump.  Bold then carefully walks down the tree trunk to get closer to the egg, then carefully hops over, gets on the stump, picks up the egg and flies off with it in his beak.  I am sneaking peeks during this performance.  It is quite fun to watch as Bold as he carefully surveys the surroundings as he approaches the egg.  I really enjoy watching our Bold raven conquer all.  The last time we visited Bold took the egg and parked it in a tree branch and then he shared it with his mate.  They both enjoyed the repast and then sat there intermittently holding each others bill and cleaning each others feathers.  Ah true love- raven style!

Return to Mt. Veeder

Recently I had an epithany of sorts.  My beloved cat Andy of 15 years died.  It made me realize how short life is and that I had better start doing the things I really want to do.  With this is mind something wonderful happened.  The owners of Lokoya Lodge called me.  Lokoya Lodge is very close to my former home on Mt. Veeder, especially as the raven flies.  I had told them if they have a rental come available to please call me and they DID!  I hurried up there and rented a cabin in the tall trees for 2 months.  These cabins were built in the 1920's as camping sites.  It is one room with a small kitchen and bathroom and a glorious view across the valley.  It looks at Madonna's former residence way in the distance.  Oh how lucky I was to get this piece of paradise for 2 months.  The second day we were up there a pair of ravens showed up and I welcomed them and called to them and had a chat.  I left 2 eggs and peanuts on the deck railing before we left for the day to go home.  The next day the peanuts and eggs were still there.  I was disappointed but could hear the raven pair in the trees.  The next time we went up there the peanuts and eggs were gone.  The neighbor told me that maybe the racoons got them.  I didn't think so- they make a mess and there was no mess.  About this time I looked up and there they were- Bold and Shy- sitting on a branch over my head.  I was so happy!  There they were!  We talked and I wanted to put out another egg.  I found a tree stump by the side door where I could place an egg.  Chuck and I were both inside the cabin for a minute and a raven came down and grabbed the egg and flew off!  Yeah- I hadn't seen that in a long time.  I went outside and raven returned to sit on a branch over my head.  Raven sat there for an hour as we talked raven/human talk and had a great time.  Raven eventually flew off only to return in a short while.  We were at the cabin for about 5 hours and the raven pair hung around here and there in the trees for the whole time.  Before I left I put out an egg and more peanuts.
I can't tell you how happy I am with this turn of events.  I guess the old axiom- one door closes, another opens, applies in my case.  I have been so sad and unhappy with the death of my dear kitty Andy.  He can never be replaced but reuniting with the raven pair has done much to lift my spirits.  Nature is a wonderful thing.  Take time to enjoy what is around you.