Ravens, Crows, and Cackles observances and differences here's what it's all about.

The Pean Tree is big, the animals love it.

There is a big pecan tree out my window facing North, it has not been trimmed in many years, during high winds it shakes like a long-haired patron at a Rock and Roll concert. There are numerous squirrel nests as well as an owl nesting box in it. I find it amazing they ignore each other for the most part and just go about their daily activities. Of course, the Owl is pretty inactive during the day, She being a creature of habit or instinct, I saw her one day on a branch staring down a squirrel. The Raptor was within five feet (1.5 meters) of the fluffy-tailed invader, they had moved into the Owl box. A lot of animals have moved into it during the brief time the young birds leave and a new brood is started. Prior to the squirrels a swarm of honey bees took it over, they left after a few days, I don't know why. I tried to have them removed by a beekeeper but it is too dangerous as it is about 30 feet off the ground.

The Squirrels spend a good part of their day chasing each other and repairing the nests. I wonder how they stay dry in there, it looks like a basic survival shelter, extremely well built. Some of the nests have been in that tree for several years, I'm sure they have been completely rebuilt over time. The Owl will sometimes spend all day under the eave of the house, watching them.

It has been raining hard for the past three days, it was needed earlier when the Campfire first started but it was not in the forecast. The fire is out, that's the silver lining, unstable ground laid bare by the flames is now vulnerable to mudslides and flooding is the dark side. During the rain yesterday the tree was completely hidden by the deluge, those squirrel nests may be the design we need for housing in disaster-prone areas.

Crows and squirrels get along well, even though they compete for food.

A mob of crows occupies the tree most of the spring, until early summer, then return when the pecans are ready. They returned to the tree today in great numbers, a few have been visiting it for the past week or so, but today marked the big migration, it's time to set up my video camera and capture the activity.

Interesting birds they are, I was watching them one day when a peculiar thing happened. The tree is on the North side of us, about 100 feet away, in plain view through a large window. One particular day I was sitting on my porch that faces West, just watching all the activities taking place on, in and around the river that flows by.

It's a slough, some call them Bayous, there is a fine line between the two, swamps are a totally different entity. Our slough flows and has a good current of about 3 miles per hour.

I watched one crow fly by with a pecan in its beak. Flying West about 400 yards, there the Power lines extend North to South, starting at the Hydro projects on the Columbia river hundreds of miles North they continue down the I-5 corridor (15 miles east of here) to Los Angelos, (350 miles South) they are the structures clearly visible for most of the drive. The crow turned due South after passing the first tower, obviously, it was on a mission. At the same time, it executed a sharp 90-degree turn South. At that exact moment, another crow flew past me, again with a pecan in its beak. This bird repeated the exact path the first one took, then amazingly a third, then a fourth and they just kept passing by. I stopped counting as there were so many, perfectly spaced, it appeared to be a deliberate plan or strategy.

I did not see them return, this time, but I have seen them do similar patterns. Most of the time they will make a huge sweeping circle, returning from the East to the tree, that is a sight to behold also. The following crow did not take off until the lead Crow turned South, deliberate and sure. I wonder if that is a display of subjective reasoning, do they know how their actions impact their future? Maybe it's just instinct, but it appears to be much more than that. Planning, communication, and reasoning, does it all work into that? I don't know, but it sure makes a guy wonder. We can learn a lot of survival skills by watching the animals among us.

These guy's make interesting neighbors.

There are always at least a few of the blackbirds in and around Taylor Slough, they are not Ravens, although some appear to be as massive as their cousins of the avian world. They look alike, sound alike, eat many of the same foods, but a few differences separate them.

To begin they will not share habitats, they co-mingle and typically ignore one another but they don't tolerate living together.

The Ravens have huge beaks in comparison and it is noticeable when up close, but it's not only the beaks.

Ravens are big birds, larger than Crows they are about the same size as a male Red Tailed Hawk, surprisingly big.

A Cackle, not a crow.

The last obvious trait is Ravens will soar, or glide, Crows, on the other hand, don't. It makes identifying them while in the air easy, they do share the same wing stroke pattern, but they don't play while flying as their smaller relatives do.

One regular resident of the slough is a Crow that displays a unique play activity, it was a bit bewildering the first time I saw it (male or female, I can't tell them apart). Flying past me and continuing over the river suddenly he dropped like a rock, I had thought I witnessed a bird die in mid-flight. He fell 10 meters or so, (30 feet) to about one foot above the water, spread it's wings and began pumping them hard to gain altitude, he came within inches of the water. Continuing Westward the bird continued to display this unusual activity every 100 feet or so. It was with a flock of 5-6 other birds who were acting "normal", it has been around here for a number of years and I am assuming it's the same animal, but it may be an activity shared by others after all these guys are fast learners and smart.

But not smart enough to avoid the smaller birds, it's rare to see a Crow flying when there is not a squadron of smaller birds literally on its tail. The bigger birds are predators constantly raiding the nest of Red Wing Blackbirds, and the thousands of Swallows lining the banks. The small birds are relentless causing the Crows to land on fences and even the ground to avoid their attacks, which to this observer does not work well for the bigger bird at all. Appearing to be no escape for them they typically will take to the air again and beeline it for the nearest tree and get behind branches.

Ravens are much larger than Crows.

The critters are a display of self-reliance, but not so much self-awareness, they are food oriented, everything they do is in the search for nourishment as most wild animals. I believe they as well as other large birds, recognize humans, and other animals that frequent their environment. I don't feed them, harass them, or attempt to drive them away, I'm merely a part of their world as they see it. I'm not professing to have any special abilities, knowledge, or talent when it comes to interacting with them, I do believe they realize I am harmless to them. In most ways I am a part of their world, I am the guest.

Thanks for reading and sharing, sometimes writing about the wild ones that I share the world with is enlightening for me, and I hope for the readers as well. I was taught from an early age to watch the animals, sitting quietly observing them will teach a person everything there is to know about people. Nature and Reality are the same to me, I have difficulty telling them apart.



JacquesLebec           Emergencykitsplus.com