And a raven with nesting material? Already.
Time to wipe some egg off my face. The bird in the first two photos isn’t a raven, it’s an American Crow! When I first published this post I called it a raven. I knew it was a crow when I took the photos but this morning I just had a brain fart. So some of my text below is inaccurate, although most of what I said also applies to my experience with crows. Usually I don’t mind an egg for breakfast but I’m gonna choke on this one…
The bird in the third photo is actually a raven.
If I have a photographic nemesis species these days it’s probably the Common Raven, especially in flight (kingfishers used to be my nemesis but thankfully I’ve remedied that.) I find most ravens to be reliably uncooperative because they nearly always take off just before I get my pickup stopped. On those rare occasions when I do get one up close and in my viewfinder, proper exposure becomes the problem. Jet black birds like ravens and crows are a nightmare to expose well enough to get much detail in their plumage and that problem is typically compounded when they’re in flight.
As a result I’ve posted very few raven photos to my blog. And even fewer raven flight shots.
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
But two days ago along the Antelope Island causeway I got a couple of consecutive raven (crow) flight shots I like pretty well. Somehow ‘she’ took off to my left instead of away from me and the light angle was actually pretty good to provide detail in most of the blacks.
She’s sharp and I like her wing position and hanging legs. The out of focus twig sticking into her lower belly is unfortunate but for me it’s only a minor annoyance. And now that I’ve posted I’m seeing a slight and very narrow sharpening halo on the underside of the bird. Sharpening halos are another problem with photographing black birds. Next time I’ll be more careful while processing…
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
In the next shot in the burst she was beginning to turn away from me but she compensated with a head turn in my direction. Her wings in a down position provided welcome contrast to the previous photo.
My first inclination was to rotate both shots to get the apparent horizon line level. In most places along the causeway the horizon line would actually be level but this one wasn’t so I didn’t rotate. Sometimes I’m a stickler for reality to a fault and this may or may not be one of those times, especially with the first photo.
1/5000, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
On that same morning this Common Raven forgot ‘he’ was a raven by allowing me an unusually close approach and uncharacteristically he wasn’t bothered when I aimed my lens his way. He was on an ugly perch but he had a twig in his bill so all I really wanted was a few head shots.
Because ravens are known for play, often with twigs or other objects, it can be difficult to tell if a twig in their bill was collected as nesting material or as a play item. But while I was with this guy he wasn’t playing and ravens actually begin constructing nests in January so I suspect the twig was collected as nesting material.
Here’s what Cornell’s Birds of the World has to say about the timing of Common Raven nest building:
“Nest construction or repair of old nest begins when territorial occupation becomes apparent or shortly thereafter, generally late Jan to mid-Apr.”
Nesting material or not I think the twig makes the portrait much more interesting.
Ron
I have a group of crows that I feed in the mornings. I love these birds. The raven has such a charming croak. 😀 I haven’t seen any ravens, but I hear them from time to time in my neighborhood. The time is coming when they will head back down to the bosque. I’ll miss them.
Excellent series Ron, thanks for sharing!
Charlotte Norton
A little egg is good for the skin and hair. And these whatchamacallits are beauties! A corvid is a corvid is a corvid. 😉
“A corvid is a corvid is a corvid”
Thanks for throwing me some slack, Marty. It’ll take a while to live this one down.
#2 elegant.
Thanks, Michael.
Handsome birds, and I especially like the raven portrait. Crows, ravens and turkey vultures are oft-maligned for their (scary) looks, behaviors, habits, etc., but I find them interesting, entertaining and aggravating. (Have often found soaked pieces of BBQ pork chop, chicken breast, pizza and bread in my fountain or birdbath.) I also have a crow “fren” who comes daily for his peanuts —invariably bringing numerous buddies — but this one has been living for nearly a year with a broken leg and still he seems to thrive. Resilient creatures.
Chris, your crow with a broken leg lasting for a year is impressive. In that situation I’d be a whiny, miserable mess and most likely wouldn’t survive for long.
I hear ya, believe me! 😂
Outstanding photos. I’m very impressed by how you manage to get such feather detail, especially without overexposing the rest of the images.
“I’m very impressed by how you manage to get such feather detail”
Thanks, Lyle. My high quality lens gets most of the credit for that.
Dear Ron, I enjoyed reading this. Brilliant photos too. I never imagined that some birds are more playful than the others. I grew up with a Parrot that learned to speak words of English and Efik, my Nigerian language. I think he was a Grey African Parrot. He was my closest to being friends with a bird. My father doted on him and he knew. Looking back now, I think he was not only playful but mischievous. You know, all work and no play ain’t great. It’s interesting that the lovely Raven with the twig manages well a work-play balance. Thanks for sharing.
Arit, a friend of mine used to have an African Grey. Great birds!
That portrait is an absolute beauty.
We have bearded ravens who visit on a regular basis. They appear happy to hang around until I lift up the camera. Crows are a much rarer sighting here -though many people use the names interchangeably.
EC, your comment about your Bearded Ravens made me curious so I looked them up. To me they look a lot like our ravens except for eye color.
Do your ravens have the ‘beard’ which is often very noticeable with our bearded ravens? Such intelligent, family minded birds – and I find them beautiful as well.
Our raven has elongated throat feathers but I don’t think that feature is as prominent in our species as it is in yours.
Nice photos and with good iridescent colors, which are hard to capture in the black birds. I find the ravens cooperative on the Island and in other state and national parks. I think they are use to humans and hoping for a left over food. They rightly peg us humans as messy eaters.
You’re right, April. In fact I just said almost exactly the same thing in response to Dan’s comment below. Peas in a pod, you and I…
All corvids are great. Perhaps the biggest difference between crows and ravens (from a photographers point of view) is that crows often seem to love to play in front of the camera and ravens quickly leave (but often seem to taunt you as they go). As you might guess, my photo experience is similar to yours. Both are highly intelligent and fun to observe. I’m glad to see your success. Not everyone has unsuccessful times with ravens, of course. We have a friend on the north Oregon coast who has several ravens visit her deck everyday. They usually stay put even when she walks outside.
Thank you, Dan. Yes, in many of our national and state parks ravens are extremely approachable. And some of them on Antelope Island aren’t as jumpy as ravens usually are.
Too funny is right Ron. Prescott is all about Ravens and we have more than you would ever want. I know much more about their nest robbing than nest building. I also have a forever grudge against them for killing our one and only eagle chick two years ago when the female had to leave the nest. Actually I don’t hold the grudge because I realize it is just nature doing what nature does. Back in Irvine CA we had Crows so when we moved here at first I just assumed our Ravens were Crows. The one thing I have always loved about Ravens is watching them ride the thermals on very windy days.
Everett, I remember you saying that ravens had killed an eagle chick. I’d have a hard time with that one too.
Cool photos . . . . . . Love your work ! Love the Crows !
Thank you, Shawn.
I, too, really like shot #3, especially for the feather detail– and also because its “personality” reminds me of Groucho Marx ,who was a raven amongst humans
if there ever was one !
Ha, I see what you mean about Groucho and ravens!
Love the Raven in number 3 – the light, the feathers, the beak, the twig. So beautiful.
Thank you, Sallie.
TOO funny tho it happens……. 😉 Unless I get a good view of the tail I’m never sure! Beautiful shots of the Crow/Raven. Those blacks ARE a challenge.
“TOO funny tho it happens”
Thanks, Judy. Maybe at some point I’ll be able to see the funny part but I’m not there yet…
I like to photograph crows but I’m not fond of eating crow… 🙂
All black birds have been problematic for me. My best shots have had the sunlight reflecting off the feathers, but they are few and far between. Loved the portrait with the stick.
Thanks, Kenneth. I think black birds are problematic for all bird photographers.
I’ve not seen such intimate photos of wild ravens anywhere else. You captured their soul, somehow, as others have not done.
Thanks very much, Cheryl.