Call of the Raven

…and it is not “nevermore” but so much more. They have quite a lot to say.

[su_box title=”Got Ravens?” style=”soft” box_color=”#e8d3a9″ title_color=”#235529″]QUESTION: Are you hearing ravens where you live? I’m especially interested to know about other places in Floyd County where these birds may be year-round residences. [/su_box]

Their call is the distant throaty croaking you will hear several times, beginning about 10 seconds in.

We’ve had these impressive and intelligent members of the crow family living in our valley all along. But I am pretty sure we have not had the level of activity we are seeing this year.

And in the past few weeks, the soaring in pairs and the vocalizations have really increased–from dawn to dusk. I’ve set myself the task of finding a nest, which is likely on a rock ledge up the gorge.

I will likely have more to say about the ravens of Goose Creek later on, but for now, listen to this brief recording (over creek sounds and indigo bunting song) of back and forth raven calls. You can hear at least two distinct individual voices by their different pitches.

The raven image was taken on Buffalo Mountain a few years ago. I’ll have to retell that account of ravens at play–unforgettable!