Cobirders,
An NPR piece about ravens was brought to my attention and I thought I would share it.
Of course, that is all just a pretext for sharing a raven story.
Years ago, when I was the compiler of the Boulder Audubon Christmas Bird Count, I was disturbed by what was a single record from 1921 of two “White-necked Raven” (aka Chihuahuan Raven) on the CBC. The first Boulder Christmas Count was in 1909 and there were sporadic counts until 1950 when it became an annual event. When I looked more closely at the data, I discovered the Common Raven was not first counted on the Boulder CBC until around 1957, and then next in 1961. Reports on the CBC were sporadic until 1971 when it began being reported regularly. Since then it has taken off with a high of 366 in 1996.
What about the White-necked Raven report from 1921? The reported actually noted seeing white at the base of the neck when the wind fluttered the birds feathers (how’s that for an early, rare bird report!). White-necked Raven populations exploded during the late 19th Century bison slaughter. Perhaps this left-over pair heard about Buffaloes in Boulder and came to investigate.
Bill Kaempfer
Boulder
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