ravens

Category Archives: ravens

October 31, 2024 – 10:31 am
Posted in ravens
Tagged birds, raven photography, ravens, yellowstone
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Am I the only person who goes to Yellowstone National Park and returns with hundreds of photos of ravens? Why so many? Ravens in the park are very habituated to people. They see parking lots as sources of food – either crumbs left behind or as hand outs from unknowing tourists. I was kneeling down photographing one bird when they kept going over to a car and I realized that the man inside was dropping potato chips for them. Here is a post from my last trip to Yellowstone.

Sometimes they are in trees calling frequently. At one place, a raven made a sound like a wild turkey! It was hilarious and I only wish that I had thought to record it. When I got out of my car, I honestly thought there was a turkey in the area even though I’m pretty sure there are no turkeys in Yellowstone.

Some of the ravens had colored bands on their legs. Someone must be studying them. I’d like to know more about that.

Raven Portraits

We just returned from a winter trip to Yellowstone National Park. For some people, that might seem counter intuitive but for me, it’s been a long time coming – a real bucket list trip. Now that I’ve gone once, I can’t wait to visit there in the winter again.

While we saw lots of charismatic megafauna and I had opportunities to photograph many of them, my favorite photos from the trip are these of the Common Ravens in the Tower Junction area. This pair seemed to dominate the parking lot where there was a dumpster, recycling bins and toilets. I have no doubt that they are true scavengers living off what we humans leave behind. I think they also were very used to people and have probably been fed many times. When another pair of ravens flew overhead, these two hopped up and down on a snowbank making threatening calls. I think they were saying “Get out of here, this is our place.” They are beautiful and smart birds.