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Printed From Acorn-Online.com Bird Notes
by JACK SANDERS Ravens return If you visit northern New England or New York, the Common Raven is, as its name might suggest, common. But down in Fairfield and Westchester counties, the raven is only rarely seen. That’s because, like so many other native species, the ravens were driven out when the forests they favored were felled by the settlers, who needed open fields and pastures. Ravens may also have been hunted as varmints that ate crops. Now that forests have been returning, so have coyotes, Wild Turkeys, fishers, and other critters banished long ago. And the raven may also be making a come-back.
Former reservation assistant curator Taro Ietaka was on a recent hike to Raven Rocks, near the southern tip of the reservation overlooking the Stone Hill River, when a pair of ravens flew away as hikers approached. “Ravens have definitely returned,” Mr. Ietaka said in The Ledger. Michael Bochnik of the Hudson River Audubon Society told The Ledger there were only scattered, rare sightings of ravens in the area up until the mid-1980s. Reports of ravens started to increase in the late 1990s, and the first recent sighting in Ward Pound Ridge Reservation was in 1999. “But 2004 was the breakthrough year,” wrote Mr. Ietaka in a reservation newsletter. “Up to four ravens at a time have been seen.” “Ravens have been expanding their range into what would have been considered non-traditional habitats,” John Askildsen of the Bedford Audubon Society told The Ledger. “Some of my birding colleagues have actually observed ravens in New York City and Long Island in recent times.” Raven sightings have also become pretty regular in Litchfield County, Connecticut, particularly at the White Memorial in Litchfield and along the Housatonic River near Kent. The casual observer seeing one or a few ravens flying at a distance would probably think they are just crows. In fact, they look at lot like crows and are in the same genus. The big difference is size. An American Crow is about 17 inches long, has a wingspan of 39 inches, and weighs about a pound. A Common Raven is 24 inches long, has a wingspan of 53 inches and weighs about two and a half pounds. In northern Vermont, where they are easy to see, I once had several fly by within about 20 feet, and was amazed at the loud “whooshing” their big wings made. And speaking of sounds, that’s another difference between crows and ravens: Crows “caw” while ravens “croak.” I have seen a raven near home only once, about 15 years ago, and it was in an ideal situation for quickly confirming that it was a raven, not a crow. The raven was sitting in a tree on Route 35, West Lane, in Ridgefield, and was being closely observed by a half dozen crows. The crows were dwarfed by their much bigger cousin. Coming Up Birdhouse Auction, a wide array of creative designs, benefiting Project Return, Friday, March 28, 7 to 10:30, $125, Inn at Longshore, Westport, projectreturnct.org, 203-291-6402. Bird Walk, Saturday, April 5, April 12, 7 to 8:45 a.m., Audubon Greenwich, meeting in parking lot, 613 Riversville Road, Greenwich, 203-869-5272 x221, greenwich.audubon.org Early Spring Migrations, birding class, Saturday, April 5, 9:30 to noon, $15/$12, Audubon Greenwich, 613 Riversville Road, Greenwich, 203-869-5272 x221, greenwich.audubon.org. “Red Knots and Horseshoe Crabs - A Delicate Balance Overthrown,” with Larry Niles, Ph.D., expert on shorebirds, Wednesday, April 9, 7:30 p.m., free, Bedford Audubon, at Katonah Village Library, 26 Bedford Road, Katonah, info @ bedfordaudubon.org, 914- 232-1999, bedfordaudubon.org Osprey Cruise on Connecticut River, Saturday, April 12, 10 to 11:30 a.m, $35, Connecticut Audubon, 860-767-0660, pwood @ ctaudubon.org All About Woodpeckers, bird class, Saturday, April 12, 9:30 to noon, $15/$12, Audubon Greenwich, 613 Riversville Road, Greenwich, 203-869-5272 x221, greenwich.audubon.org Eastern Bluebirds, with John Rogers, co-founder of New York State Bluebird Society, Saturday, April 12, 3:30 to 5, Quaker Ridge Bird Club, at Audubon Greenwich, 613 Riversville Road, Greenwich, 203-869-5272, greenwich.audubon.org Bird walks with Luke Tiller, mostly Saturdays at 8 a.m.: Sunday, March 30, Sherwood Island; April 15, Compo to Sasco Beach Tour; April 19, Wilton Birding; May 3, Poverty Hollow; May 10, Saugatuck Falls; $10 each; to register, www. sunrisebirding. com/ walks.htm; 203-981-9924, luke.tiller @ gmail.com. Cape May Migration, weekend trip, April 25 to 27, Connecticut Audubon, 1-800-996-8747, ecotravel @ ctaudubon.org Birding Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Mass. Trip, May 9 to 11, Connecticut Audubon, 1-800-996-8747, ecotravel @ ctaudubon.org. First Sundays, birding at Greenwich Point with Meredith Sampson of Wild Wings, and other guides, April 6, May 4, 9 a.m., meet at the second concession stand, 203-637-9822. Bird walks, first Saturday at 7:30 a.m., free, meet at Wild Bird Center of Norwalk, 335 Westport Avenue (Route 1), www. wildbird. com/ Norwalk, 203-846-BIRD. Copyright (c) 2008 by Jack Sanders. Send sightings or comments to: jackfsanders [at sign] yahoo.com, or to Bird Notes, Box 1019, Ridgefield, CT 06877; or call 203-438-1183, extension BIRD (2473), and leave a message with your report, spelling your first and last names and telling us your town. If you need help identifying a bird, try your local nature center. If you find an injured bird, call wildlife rehabilitator Darlene Wimbrow of Redding, 203-438-0618, Wildlife in Crisis of Weston, 203-544-9913, or Wild Wings of Greenwich, 203-637-9822. The columnist’s website is www. sandersbooks. com. © Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers |
