While I was driving the auto tour route at Bear River MBR two days ago, I was tickled to photograph a roadside Common Raven in lovely, bright morning light.
Roadside Common Raven – Nikon D500, f8, 1/800, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
Common Ravens were my nemesis for a number of years, but now I am able to photograph them several times a year. I’m always happy to have a raven or ravens in my viewfinder.
I don’t really care for the ‘Common’ part in their common name; I think ‘Magnificent Raven’ suits them better. If there can be Magnificent Frigatebirds, then certainly, there can be Magnificent Ravens too. In Europe they are called Northern Ravens, and I prefer that to ‘Common’ myself.
I believe that there is plenty to admire, adore, and love about Common Ravens, and I do.
Why I adore Common Ravens:
- These ravens are fascinating and intelligent.
- Common Ravens are very vocal animals and can produce a diverse suite of calls and sounds, all for different purposes. They have alarm calls, comfort sounds, hunting calls, and calls designed for advertising territories. They can even mimic sounds from their habitat. I particularly enjoy their deep croaks, gurgling calls, and the way they sometimes seem to whisper to each other.
- I almost always see pairs of ravens, not single birds. They appear to enjoy cuddling next to each other on cold winter days. They are also very extremely loyal to their mates, are devoted parents, and are known to care for each other in times of sickness and danger.
- Common Ravens are playful and, at times, even mischievous. Juvenile ravens can be especially playful. They seem to enjoy sliding around in snow and appear to play games like ‘Catch Me If You Can’ with other species.
- I enjoy watching them in flight along with their aerial acrobatics.
I admire Common Ravens for these reasons and more.
As part of the story about this Common Raven I photographed alongside the auto tour route, I wanted to add that it also wasn’t alone. This raven’s mate was about 50 feet to the west, poking around in the tall roadside vegetation, easily within sight of this raven. And that made me smile. They do stick close together.
A gorgeous shelf cloud and ravens helped to make my trip to the refuge simply wonderful.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Common Raven photos plus facts and information about this species.
I love ravens too. Such intelligent, family minded birds – and I think they are lovely to look at as well.
They are also wicked smart (as my neighbor from PA would say). I enjoy watching their antics. The ones in our neighborhood know which people appreciate them as well as which do not — and the cars tell the tale. I definitely know when I have offended my Corvid Overlords. 😉
Love this! Watching ravens work in tandem with wolves, bears, and eagles to feed themselves and their families in Yellowstone this month was just confirmation of what you beautifully posted.