Today is our last day in Shell Beach and I will have to say goodby to my two crow friends. It has been interesting to watch their antics. They have many characteristics in common with ravens. I had never paid much attention to crows before, so this vacation was a great opportunity to watch them up close. Each morning I put out bread crumbs on one corner of the deck railing for the white crowned sparrows. On the other end I put out meat scraps for the crows. Occasionally a seagull would cruise by to see what was what but I would go outside and scare him off.
The crow pair sit on the telephone wire and wait for me to disappear before they come down to get the treat. One at a time they come down and get their snack of the day. There is not a shy one in this pair. They are both bold as long as they can't see me. Now they are both sitting on the telephone wire when I come upstairs in the morning to get my cup of tea. How soon they learn where the good stuff is!!
I am very anxious to get home and see the raven pair. Will they remember me?
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
RAVEN DEPRIVATION
It has been 19 days since I have seen a raven. I am raven deprived!! I have searched the skies of Pismo Beach, Avila Beach, Morro Bay and San Luis Obispo to no avail. Nary a raven in sight. I miss Bold and Shy and their morning visits at 7:30 AM on the nose. It is my punishment for going off and leaving Bold and Shy that I have not been able to find a raven. It is so strange because I always see ravens wherever I go. HUM- there are brown pelicans, starlings, oyster catchers, blue jays, sea gulls a plenty, surf scooters, buzzards, sparrows, crows, hummingbirds, egrets, they are all here at the interface of the land and the sea- but no ravens. Well I will keep looking and scanning the skies. I did see one thing that was so marvelous. Looking out to sea I saw something sitting on a raft of kelp. With further looking- it was a grey blue heron riding on a raft of kelp quite a ways from shore. That is something I had never seen- quite something- not as good as a RAVEN- but pretty darn good!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Brother Crow in Pismo
Here we are in Pismo Beach looking for ravens. Bold and Shy are almost on their own. They will get some treats while we are gone from the house sitter. Then there are the two compost piles they frequent everyday and of course all the squirrels on the road. I bet they are MAD- no one to feed them at the strike of 7:30 AM! I better watch my back when I get home!!
The first night we were here Chuck noticed a big black bird flying by. We could not see the tail in flight to determine whether it was a crow or a raven UNTIL- CAW CAW!!!! We put out a piece of meat on the railing to see what would happen. The big black bird came down and did the same motions as a raven. He sat on the telephone wire and wiped his beak back and forth on the wire numerous times. Jumped forward and backwards until he got the nerve to fly down to the railing and get the meat. I could not see his beak very well or his neck but thought it was a very large crow.
The next day I put out some meat on the railing in the full sunlight. This way I could see the bird clearly if he came to collect the food. Within 10 minutes- here came two large black birds- one flew down and got a piece of the meat. No tentative sitting on the telephone wire this time. I got a good look at its tail in flight- definitely a very large crow. No wedged shaped tail for this guy and lots of Cawing. The other black bird then came down and got the rest of the food. So it looks like we will have crow friends for the duration of our stay. These crows have a pretty good spot- right by the beach- several large trees to sit in and survey the landscape and lovely weather- what is not to like for human or crow?
The first night we were here Chuck noticed a big black bird flying by. We could not see the tail in flight to determine whether it was a crow or a raven UNTIL- CAW CAW!!!! We put out a piece of meat on the railing to see what would happen. The big black bird came down and did the same motions as a raven. He sat on the telephone wire and wiped his beak back and forth on the wire numerous times. Jumped forward and backwards until he got the nerve to fly down to the railing and get the meat. I could not see his beak very well or his neck but thought it was a very large crow.
The next day I put out some meat on the railing in the full sunlight. This way I could see the bird clearly if he came to collect the food. Within 10 minutes- here came two large black birds- one flew down and got a piece of the meat. No tentative sitting on the telephone wire this time. I got a good look at its tail in flight- definitely a very large crow. No wedged shaped tail for this guy and lots of Cawing. The other black bird then came down and got the rest of the food. So it looks like we will have crow friends for the duration of our stay. These crows have a pretty good spot- right by the beach- several large trees to sit in and survey the landscape and lovely weather- what is not to like for human or crow?
Thursday, December 31, 2009
The Buzzard Monitor
Today is the last day of 2009. Can't say I am sad to see it go. Last night we had our prime rib dinner to celebrate the New Year since we are busy tonight. This meant that there was a bonanza of food for the ravens this morning. Prime rib bones, hunks of fat and bread slices with the fat from the roasting pan.
What a raven FEAST! Now I have noticed that whenever there is food of an appreciable size or delecticity- the buzzard appears. This big bird monitors our house and when he sees something he would like to eat, he lurks around. He really wanted to come down to where I feed the ravens but he seemed reluctant to do so. I don't know why because he has come down before. I did see the raven fly at him a few times to discourage his interest in the food.
Then there is GREEDY Bold. I put out two rib bones. He wanted both of them. He picked up one and put it next to the other one. Now he had both bones together. He spent some time trying to figure out how to pick up both bones at the same time. This was not going to work, so he flew off with one bone. While he was gone I expected Shy to come down out of the tree for the remaining bone. But Shy did not. Maybe the buzzard was the intimidating factor. In the end, the ravens got all the food and the buzzard sat in the tree. It must be a young buzzard. An old buzzard would have taken the situation well in hand and I would have had to go outside and do my flapping arm thing to get it to go away!
Here is hoping that 2010 will be a better year for all God's creatures.
What a raven FEAST! Now I have noticed that whenever there is food of an appreciable size or delecticity- the buzzard appears. This big bird monitors our house and when he sees something he would like to eat, he lurks around. He really wanted to come down to where I feed the ravens but he seemed reluctant to do so. I don't know why because he has come down before. I did see the raven fly at him a few times to discourage his interest in the food.
Then there is GREEDY Bold. I put out two rib bones. He wanted both of them. He picked up one and put it next to the other one. Now he had both bones together. He spent some time trying to figure out how to pick up both bones at the same time. This was not going to work, so he flew off with one bone. While he was gone I expected Shy to come down out of the tree for the remaining bone. But Shy did not. Maybe the buzzard was the intimidating factor. In the end, the ravens got all the food and the buzzard sat in the tree. It must be a young buzzard. An old buzzard would have taken the situation well in hand and I would have had to go outside and do my flapping arm thing to get it to go away!
Here is hoping that 2010 will be a better year for all God's creatures.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
A Very Raven Christmas
Chirstmas was very Merry for the ravens and for ME! My family has got the message (knock, knock, click, click, clunk) that I like RAVENS= and came through with the raven goods! I received a very cool raven tee-shirt, a personalized tea mug with the name Raven Maven on it and a picture of a perching raven AND a big raven puppet from the National Park Service Store! I now have 2 raven puppets and plan to put on a puppet show for the ravens as soon as the fog clears out.
The ravens received a very bountiful largess of phenomenal proportions- a set of prime rib bones complete with lots of fat, as a gift from family members. I saw raven sitting in the redwood tree so I put out a large hunk of meat and fat. I then went inside and was peeking through the drapes to see what Bold would do. Bold saw me and gave me the raven eye. (the raven eye is a bright and shiny eye that takes you in and says- I know what you are up to) Bold then came down to the deck railing to get the treat. Bold jumped around, forward and back a few times and THEN- he picked up the whole piece in his beak and flew off with it with Shy following right behind. It made me think that raven could pick up a whole rat if the occassion arose for such a necessity.
We went to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie the day after Christmas since I have been a Sherlock fan for many years. The director of the movie incorporated ravens into many of the movie scenes. He utilized the raven as a necrological apparition-announcing a death. The only problem with all this necrological nonsense was that the ravens had a CROW'S voice.! No great croak, or knock or click or clank- just a plain ole CAW! Pishaw- a perfectly poised remonstration- from 1895! I got it straight from my grandmother who was born in 1895- pishaw for crow's voices for ravens. For those lexicographers in the group:
Pishaw is derived from PISH- to make an exclamation of disgust!
A thing which causes many poohs and pishes, And several oaths! Byron
Grandmother and I are in good company!
The ravens received a very bountiful largess of phenomenal proportions- a set of prime rib bones complete with lots of fat, as a gift from family members. I saw raven sitting in the redwood tree so I put out a large hunk of meat and fat. I then went inside and was peeking through the drapes to see what Bold would do. Bold saw me and gave me the raven eye. (the raven eye is a bright and shiny eye that takes you in and says- I know what you are up to) Bold then came down to the deck railing to get the treat. Bold jumped around, forward and back a few times and THEN- he picked up the whole piece in his beak and flew off with it with Shy following right behind. It made me think that raven could pick up a whole rat if the occassion arose for such a necessity.
We went to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie the day after Christmas since I have been a Sherlock fan for many years. The director of the movie incorporated ravens into many of the movie scenes. He utilized the raven as a necrological apparition-announcing a death. The only problem with all this necrological nonsense was that the ravens had a CROW'S voice.! No great croak, or knock or click or clank- just a plain ole CAW! Pishaw- a perfectly poised remonstration- from 1895! I got it straight from my grandmother who was born in 1895- pishaw for crow's voices for ravens. For those lexicographers in the group:
Pishaw is derived from PISH- to make an exclamation of disgust!
A thing which causes many poohs and pishes, And several oaths! Byron
Grandmother and I are in good company!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
A Symphony of Ravens
We went to SF to shop and look at the decorations and were gone for 4 days. The ravens had Fred to feed them the chicken eggs along with feeding and playing with Andy the cat. The next morning after our arrival home- there they were, the ravens at 7:30 AM-right on time!
While in SF- the City by the Bay- we drove down to Ocean Beach and what to my surprised eye did I see but an "unkindness" of juvenile ravens. I drove right into a parking place near the ravens. I have decided to rename the plural noun for ravens from an "unkindness" to a "symphony". A symphony of black ravens is a much more poetic and appealing name- don't you think?
There was a man about my age sitting on a bench by the Ocean Beach walkway. He had a bag of food with him and was feeding 5 juvenile ravens. He would put a piece of food on the back of the back support of the bench and a raven would come and pick it up. This was about 16" from the man's body. The man did not turn around and look at the raven, but let the bird pick up the piece of food in peace. The man told me he had retired and came down everyday to the bench by the beach to watch the birds. He had made friends with the ravens. There were other birds there too- seagulls, pigeons, and black birds. The seagulls beat out the ravens for the food if it is thrown out. They are good at swooping down and catching food in mid air. I learned that when I threw out some pieces of granola bars that I had in the car. So after that I put the food right by the ravens on the ground so that they could get it easily. I had a nice conversation with the retired man and told him about the Nature show on PBS on Ravens- The Smartest Birds. We had just seen it in the hotel one night. At the end of the raven program- a man who was interviewed said- Once you become aware of ravens- you are hooked for life. I believe it- because where ever I go I am aware of the sky and am scanning for ravens whether I am aware of it or not.
While in SF- the City by the Bay- we drove down to Ocean Beach and what to my surprised eye did I see but an "unkindness" of juvenile ravens. I drove right into a parking place near the ravens. I have decided to rename the plural noun for ravens from an "unkindness" to a "symphony". A symphony of black ravens is a much more poetic and appealing name- don't you think?
There was a man about my age sitting on a bench by the Ocean Beach walkway. He had a bag of food with him and was feeding 5 juvenile ravens. He would put a piece of food on the back of the back support of the bench and a raven would come and pick it up. This was about 16" from the man's body. The man did not turn around and look at the raven, but let the bird pick up the piece of food in peace. The man told me he had retired and came down everyday to the bench by the beach to watch the birds. He had made friends with the ravens. There were other birds there too- seagulls, pigeons, and black birds. The seagulls beat out the ravens for the food if it is thrown out. They are good at swooping down and catching food in mid air. I learned that when I threw out some pieces of granola bars that I had in the car. So after that I put the food right by the ravens on the ground so that they could get it easily. I had a nice conversation with the retired man and told him about the Nature show on PBS on Ravens- The Smartest Birds. We had just seen it in the hotel one night. At the end of the raven program- a man who was interviewed said- Once you become aware of ravens- you are hooked for life. I believe it- because where ever I go I am aware of the sky and am scanning for ravens whether I am aware of it or not.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Hillside Happenings
The fog has been so thick around the house the last couple of days that it appears we are living in a cloud. Yesterday morning I looked out and the fog was swirling about. It must be in honor of the new Sherlock Holmes movie that is coming out on Dec. 25th. We are going to see it on the 26th- of course. As I was peering through the fog- what do I see but two ravens winging their way toward me through the fog. I have to say that this was an eerie sight and the sound of the wings beating completed the phantasmagorical apparition. It was exactly 7:30 AM. How do the ravens do it? Do they have miniature Piagets?
It was a day of leftover roast beef and a hunk of crisco= yum! When I ran out of those treats, I put out the doggie crunchies- that is the signal that no more good stuff is in the offing. They had a few crunchies and departed for better prospects.
It is still early this morning and the great horned owls are out and about doing their hooting. Last night they were hooting so much that I went out and hooted with them. They call back to my hoots which is such a HOOT for me. Nature is a wonderful thing.
Our good neighbors have lost their beloved orange cat Max. The night before I looked out the kitchen door and saw a tail just around the edge of the drape. I couldn't figure out what it was so I took a better look- it was an orange cat come to eat some of the doggie crunchies that the ravens had left. I couldn't believe my eyes. Unfortunatly the cat ran off as soon as it saw me. I called to it to no avail. I called the neighbors and they came over and called- to no avail. I hope they find him soon.
It was a day of leftover roast beef and a hunk of crisco= yum! When I ran out of those treats, I put out the doggie crunchies- that is the signal that no more good stuff is in the offing. They had a few crunchies and departed for better prospects.
It is still early this morning and the great horned owls are out and about doing their hooting. Last night they were hooting so much that I went out and hooted with them. They call back to my hoots which is such a HOOT for me. Nature is a wonderful thing.
Our good neighbors have lost their beloved orange cat Max. The night before I looked out the kitchen door and saw a tail just around the edge of the drape. I couldn't figure out what it was so I took a better look- it was an orange cat come to eat some of the doggie crunchies that the ravens had left. I couldn't believe my eyes. Unfortunatly the cat ran off as soon as it saw me. I called to it to no avail. I called the neighbors and they came over and called- to no avail. I hope they find him soon.
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