Home on the Range

Two members of the family Corvidae that we see a lot of this time of year are the Magpies and the (not so common) Common Ravens.

Among the many differences between the two birds is the way in which they construct their nests. To the left is a typical magpie nest. We have dozens of these around our house and once the babies start hatching - any day now - it will be too noisy to be outside during feeding time!

A magpie nest is a complex tangle of branches formed into a ball with one hidden entrance for the adults to go back and forth. One of the reasons for the secrecy is the danger of losing eggs or chicks to their big brothers, the ravens.

 

A raven nest, on the other hand, even though more open in construction, is rarely seen in the wild. Typically they are very secretive - unlike our resident nesting pair which has built a nest on the side of vertebrae rock just outside our front door.

I have been amazed at how affectionate they have seemed to be; always touching beaks when they are together. Then I watched for a while yesterday and realized it is a more practical action. In fact papa raven seems to be feeding mama raven, allowing her to stay on the nest instead of taking time to hunt for her meals.