Raven on the railing of my deck just outside the kitchen window.
Last year I began my blog with the delightful antics of a raven family that kept us entertained all summer. (Check out Raving about Ravens July 2011.) The youngsters have grown and flown the coupe but the Ma and Pa, who mate for life, are still here, and to my excitement (yeah, I don't get out much), they built a nest across the street under our neighbor's roof.
Not the clearest picture but you can see her curled up on the nest.
Not the clearest picture but you can see her curled up on the nest.
The two of them fly all over the neighborhood calling out to each other; they're always together or at least within cawing range. They even started hanging out on the neighbor's deck again. (It won't be long before he sets up the scary owl, I'm sure.)
But one windy, rainy weekend near the end of March, I noticed a tarp had been placed on the roof in such a way that it covered the nest. In fact, it flapped so much in the wind, making such a racket, I was certain the ravens would abandon the nest.
About a week later while walking my dog, I glanced at the nest and noticed some movement. She was still there! You can see her beak sticking out just under the roof's edge below.
She is there daily but comes and goes, so I'm not sure if there are eggs yet. Once she does lay eggs, incubation is 20-25 days and then nesting from 28-50 days. So it will be awhile before I see the new family flying about.
I plan to follow them through the season and keep you informed!
For more basic info on ravens:
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_raven/lifehistory
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