Ravens Like to Wind-Surf!

Here's another story about ravens from John Marzluff's book, "Gifts of the Crow":

"A hefty wind assaulted the cliff wall to produce a powerful late afternoon updraft. Above a scenic viewpoint in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park, geysers of air call like sirens to ravens, as big waves beckon to surfers. Neither ravens nor humans can resist the challenge, fun, and celebration that is powered by nature's energetic breath. Ravens, dive, dip, chase, roll, tumble, somersault, and shout as they ride the wind. The stronger the wind the better. Rarely, if ever, do they hunker down and wait for the calm.

"On this windy October day in 1999, a group of eight ravens took their practice to a more sophisticated level and surfed the gale, gripping quarter-inch thin, concave arcs of tree bark in their feet. Pairs of birds spread their wings and launched into the air. Without flapping, the birds used their legs to angle their inch-and-a-half-wide by six-inch-long bark surfboards into the wind so that they soared, then dived, slipped this way and then that. Each bird hung all eight of its toes off its board and maneuvered it perpendicular to its body, like a snowboarder slows a too-rapid descent. The surfers rose to fifty feet above the overlook, rarely higher. Oblivious of the human onlookers below, one pair surfed while the others rallied and chased, trying to steal the boards and take their turns at the fun.

"For an hour the games mesmerized Emilie and George Rankin. Then the birds flew en masse down the mountain, to the valley, and likely to a safe night roost. Observing the ravens' surfing party was a highlight of the Rankins' autumn trip and remained an indelible memory a decade and a half later!"

Photo: A raven talks on a sandstone formation, Arches National Park, UT, April 20, 2013

Trickster Ravens and Crows Like to Imitate Us!

Last Saturday, I went to register for a campsite at Island in the Sky in Canyonlands National Park, and marveled at this printed notice located on the registration board. The procedure is to place the self-registration tag on a clip located on the campsite post. However, as this notice says, the ravens had started making a practice of removing the tag. They would have to pull REALLY HARD on it to dislodge it from the clip!

Apparently, the ravens must have watched campers fidgeting with the tags, and decided they must be pretty important pieces of paper!

The capacity of ravens and crows to mimic human behavior has often been noted. In his book, "Gifts of the Crow," wildlife biologist John Marzluff tells the story of a University of Washington football game in which the Seattle team's performance was pretty dismal. Apparently, a flock of about fifty crows had been watching the teams perform on the field, and decided to get in on the action themselves. As Marzluff tells it:

"One crow had a ball of paper that it carried with its feet for a few flaps before dropping it. The other crows rushed to grab the fumble. One crow quickly footed the paper midair and flew on, just ahead of the loud mob. Rising high, the crow dropped the paper and another bird recovered it. The whole sequence replayed over and over high above the stadium, giving the fans a welcome diversion!"

I love the fact that the raven or crow is considered a creator-figure by some Native American tribes, especially in the Pacific Northwest. The extreme intelligence - combined with a raucous trickster quality - seems perfect for the very Source of Life!

Photos: (Top) Here is the notice posted at Willow Campground in Canyonlands National Park, UT, December 1, 2014; (Bottom) "Who the hell are YOU?" this raven seems to be saying to yours-truly at an overlook at Bryce Canyon National Park, UT, May 24, 2014