But then, a raven said, "Wow!" It was a clear "Wow", but louder and hoarser than most humans can manage. I grabbed the pocket camera and went to see what was going on.
Down on the beach, a half-dozen ravens were visiting, parents with their youngsters. Hungry youngsters, according to the older of the two.
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| "Mommy, I'm starving!" |
The adults weren't paying attention to him. As he called and called and called, they kept moving farther down the beach, talking among themselves occasionally. He would follow and keep on complaining. They moved on.
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| "What did I do to deserve this?" |
Another chick, still downy about the head, was quieter, but wasn't getting fed either.
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| The other juvenile was identical to his elders, but slightly smaller. This one was the smallest of the bunch, with a soft hairdo, and wearing newer shoes. |
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| I never thought I would say this about a raven, but isn't he cute? |
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| Adult, giving me the evil eye. Time to make myself scarce. |
None of the ravens repeated the "Wow!" nor any other human word. They had plenty to say, however, in grunts and croaks and gratings and gargles, along with the screechy cries of the begging teen.
you've probalby already seen this -
ReplyDeleteSubject: observed this morning
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 2015 17:00:11 -0400
From: Fred Schueler
To: karstad@pinicola.ca
"I'm starving!" is the baby Raven's only form of speech
"Grk, over here," the parent says, "there's food down on the beach."
"I cannot leave this tree - growrrrrk - it would be too much trouble."
"O, little one you cannot live your life within a bubble."
"Scholarly tones and song" the Raven says onto his wife
"Are surely interrupted by this reproductive strife."
"Wait until September dear, when we'll fly upside down,
and say 'gluk' to each other in the Pine tree's topmost crown.
"Scholarly tones ..."! When the scholars have laryngitis. :)
ReplyDeleteOhhh one must always listen to the Ravens voice. They bring wisdom from the natural world. When out looking in nature, pay attention to what the Raven is saying.
ReplyDeleteI've noticed this with grackles, bluejays and mockingbirds - their teens follow them flapping their wings, begging to be fed and the parents are oblivious. Sometimes a parent will feed the teen, but usually the teen has to shut up and scavenge on its' own, which it eventually does when mom doesn't respond. It is funny to watch their behavior.
ReplyDeleteCrows are like that, too. They remind me of too-coddled human teens.
ReplyDelete