Young Lovers - A Triptych

Day 77. It is mating season for Ravens, and time for lifelong bonds to be made between young lovers. I sat on the cold concrete step of my back porch this morning for twenty minutes, hands past the point of pain from cold, taking photo after photo of this pair of newlyweds so obviously in love.

Don't give me "anthropomorphizing," either. That they were already paired was obvious from their -ahem- activity. They tumbled and rolled in the snow, passed clumps of snow from one beak to the other, locked bills in cooing kisses, preened each other tenderly even after the deed was done. At times I felt I was intruding upon their intimate conversation, said so low that they sounded for all the world like Mourning Doves; soft, sweet gurgling of private words. They were quite aware of my presence and, like teenagers at the mall, their ardor for one another was too great to be hidden from public view.

I have seen many generations of Ravens at my feeding station, but the thrill is always there when I realize that once again, I'm going to be a grandma!