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