For half an hour, I stood beside my car, door open to provide a stabilizer for my elbow as I attempted to train the camera on the antics going on above me. Fully a dozen Ravens were frolicking against the clouds, performing aerial acrobatics Raven researchers dream of seeing. The quorking sounds were enormous, echoing in the valley as they did, punctuated by my occasional gasp. I did not want to leave, but cold and time forced me homeward.
From left to right, top to bottom:
Image One - The bottommost bird is half into a barrel-roll, one of the least observed aerial stunts performed by Ravens. I have only witnessed barrel-rolls twice before.
Image Two - Two birds take turns divebombing one another at close range. If you look carefully, you can see that the bottom Raven's head is turned toward the upper bird, beak open in a quork.
Image Three - The shape of the body and wings clearly show that these are Ravens, not Crows (as if the sound could have left any doubt!)
Image Four - Precision flying, side by side, is often conducted with wingtips almost touching. These two had been playing wing-tag and had separated for the moment. At times during the half hour I watched, four or five birds would fly together in perfect synchronicity.
Image Five - Yes, the bird which appears to be smaller is really, honestly and truly upside-down, legs sticking straight up in the air. No, the photo has not been altered in any way other than a crop of excessive white space and to adjust brightness and contrast to eliminate grey PNW sky.
Image 6 - Close formation flying often turns into a game of wing-tag where one bird tries to break the "stride" of the other. When the second bird falters in flight, he becomes "it" and the game continues.
Awesome photos, and the explanations are so interesting! What an amazing sight! Thanks for sharing this with everyone!
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