The Raven

Although we are told that there are a few birds that winter in Iqaluit, the only one we see is the Raven. They are everywhere! We were walking the dogs this morning, (Dec. 27th) and there was a flock of Ravens mowing down on something; they litterally eat almost anything. Anyway the dogs ran after them, as they usually do, and as usual they didn't catch them. It's fun to watch the interaction the dogs have with the Ravens. Ravens are touted to be very intelligent birds. I beleive it; after seeing how they seem to manipulate the dogs. Ocassionally they will hover over the dogs just out of reach and drive the poor puppies crazy. Quinn and Holly will jump for them, never quite reaching them.
A classic story, that I may have told in another blog, is where Quinn was trying to have a dump and a Raven was hovering over his head. He would just settle into a squat and the bird would almost touch the top of his head. Of course Quinn jumped up trying to catch the bird (the real joke is Jacquie and I have no idea what he would do if he ever caught it) Anyway, this happened 3 or 4 times. Poor Quinn never did finish his job, he had to seek out alternate, more protected surroundings for the "call of nature".

According to Wikipedia, the Common Raven, also known as the Northern Raven, is a large, all-black passerine bird. There are at least eight subspecies with little variation in appearance— although recent research has demonstrated significant genetic differences among populations from various regions. It is one of the two largest corvids, alongside the Thick-billed Raven, and is possibly the heaviest passerine bird; at maturity, the Common Raven averages 63 cm (25 inches) in length and 1.2 kg (2.6 pounds)(I have to say that some of the Ravens in Iqaluit even look bigger that that). Common Ravens typically live about 10 to 15 years in the wild, although lifespans of up to 40 years have been recorded. Young birds may travel in flocks, but later mate for life, with each mated pair defending a territory. (In town the territory must be small, since there are literally hundreds of Ravens in a relatively small geographical area).

The Common Raven has coexisted with humans for thousands of years and in some areas has been so numerous that it is considered a pest (like Iqaluit). Part of its success comes from its omnivorous diet; Common Ravens are extremely versatile and opportunistic in finding sources of nutrition, feeding on carrion, insects, cereal grains, berries, fruit, small animals, and food waste.

Just last week,there was a Raven perched on our front step. He had something in his mouth that he was chewing on. They are very bold birds and have no problem getting within a few feet of you. It's hard to determine whether it's because they have become quite tame being around us for so long, or they don't intimidate easily because of their size? They love the seal hunters and we are told that a flock will chew out a seal carcass in a matter of minutes.

The other interesting trait is that they can mimick sounds, much like a parrot. We have heard them sound like a bell, cawing like a crow, twittering and can squawk annoyingly loud when they want to.

One thing that Jacquie and I have wondered about is how they stay warm. For example it's -28C this morning without the wind chill and there are many Ravens out flying around. You would think that when it's so cold that flying would increase the wind chill and make it uncomfortable for them. It certainly doesn't seem to. There is no doubt they are very hardy birds.

I for one am happy that the Raven is native to Iqaluit. They are the only animal that is in abundance in town and it gives the place a less desolate feel. There is also no doubt that Iqaluit would be a much different place without the presence of the Raven.