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The Watershed Project

raven

What’s in Your Watershed? | The Singing Red-Winged Blackbird


By Ryder Miller

Wondering where the springtime-heralding Red-winged Blackbirds are? Well, you may have already seen them. Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) are sexually dimorphic– meaning the males and females do not look alike. The males are easily recognizable due to their mostly black bodies and red and yellow patches on their shoulders. However, the females look similar to sparrows. Both sexes feed mostly on seeds and insects.

It has been said that the Red-winged blackbird is the most studied and abundant bird in North America. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology posts that in 1974 their population was estimated at 190 million. In recent years, however, they have been tougher to spot due to the increase of raven and crow populations. These hungry corvids feast on blackbird nests, which are made in cattails and other wetland vegetation.


Don’t start feeling sorry for the Blackbirds yet, for they are adept protectors. They have been known to chase ravens away to protect their nests, and on occasion their kin may even attack a person to defend precious eggs.

Red-winged Blackbirds are not snobs, and they are known to mix with other blackbirds and starlings in large flocks. The males are territorial and can have many mates, and the females do not always remain exclusive either. The female Blackbirds will often raise the eggs of other males in the territory of the top social male.


While Red-winged Blackbirds prefer wetlands, they also inhabit both salt- and fresh-water marshes. One can also find them in prairies and farmlands. They are migratory birds and fly from southern Alaska to the Yucatan peninsula.

When they are in the Bay Area, one can see them in The Marin Headlands towards Rodeo Lagoon. Though not obviously so, the Marin Headlands is its own watershed of sorts– creeks drain from high to low points throughout the area. Many of the streams have been surrounded by willows and other riparian vegetation. Streams of water have carved Gerbode, Tennessee, and Rodeo Valleys. One can also find lakes and wetlands there. If you are ever out walking or hiking in these special places, make sure to keep your ears open to catch the terrific song the Red-winged Blackbird sings for his lady loves.

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What’s in Your Watershed? | The Captivating Common Raven

By Femke Oldham

—

When here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore…

Then the ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
“Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,” I said, “art sure no craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore–
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore!”
Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”


Edgar Allen Poe may have been on to something when he composed his eerie homage to this prophetic raven. Ornithologists have come to classify the Common raven, Corvus corax, as one of the smartest of all birds.

From toenails to beak, the Common raven is all black. Not to be confused with their smaller cousin the American Crow, Common ravens have a thick, shaggy body that tapers into a diamond shaped tail. They are also identified by their heavy beaks and, relative to crows, anti-social behavior.

Common ravens are confident birds that are often found alone or in pairs. A raven will perch in a tree or building ledge and make its presence known by loudly cawing, strutting, or flashily somersaulting in the air. Additionally, ravens can recognize faces. Bird researchers who repeatedly capture and band ravens have reported that these feisty fliers will vocally scold and drop nuts on their heads if the researchers return to one area too often. Ravens are also known to be aerial acrobats, and enjoy playing games like flying upside down, or dropping sticks and catching them midair.

They’re called Common ravens for a reason. Found all over western and northern North America, ravens can make happy homes in forests, deserts, beaches, sagebrush, tundra, grasslands, as well as in cities. Their adaptability is due in part to their adventurous, some might even say ravenous, eating habits. They eat carcasses, small animals, eggs, arthropods like beetles and grasshoppers, fish, wolf and dog dung, grains, flowers, berries, pet food, many types of human food and garbage.

Yes, ravens know how to scavenge; and they also know how to hunt. They work in pairs to distract seabirds and steal their eggs and chicks. Common ravens have even been known to pull the same trick with sheep, snatching newborn lambs away from their unsuspecting mothers. Ravens are such smart predators that their increasing numbers are threatening some vulnerable species, including the desert tortoise and the Least Tern.


Edgar Allen Poe wasn’t the only one to take notice of the Common Raven. In various parts of the world, ravens are considered to possess strong personality and even magical qualities. For example, in Pacific Northwest Native American mythology the raven is considered a benevolent trickster, bringing people fire by stealing it from the sun. The raven’s knack for living so close to humans does suggest a certain kinship between us and these wily birds. So next time you hear a throaty caww coming from a nearby tree, take a moment to consider this fascinating bird. And keep in mind that the raven just might be staring right back at you.


Image credits: Terry Sohl; Fullerton College; Nicolas Dory.

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