Raven on Mt. Katahdin by Eric Hoar
This week's Phenology Note is not your typical spring post. This is by design. Perhaps you’re noticing the return of the Red-winged Blackbirds and other telltale signs of spring. But I invite you to look for the unexpected and more nuanced signs…such as a Raven flying overhead with sticks in its stout, black bill.
Right about now amorous Raven pairs are working together to repair old nests as the female prepares to lay and incubate 4-5 greenish speckled eggs.
Ravens often use the same nest site (in a tree up to 100’ tall or on a cliff ledge). For about three weeks the female will incubate the eggs (as almost all birds do, with a warm brood patch - a highly vascularized featherless patch of skin on the bird's belly).
Throughout this period the devoted male will feed her and perch nearby.
Ravens have a long-term pair bond and will repeat this process year after year, usually at the same nest.
Ravens are supremely intelligent and have “a greater variety of calls than perhaps any other animal in the world except human beings", according to Bernd Heinrich.
Did you know that Ravens belong to a group of highly intelligent birds known as Corvids? In Maine, these include the crows, ravens, and jays.
I hope you enjoyed this Phenology Note!
Join me in witnessing the seasons of our wild world.
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