Corvid Corner

[Mew]

Mew, thank you for your thoughts. I will look out for Corvus.

Deryck and I shared a fascination with and admiration for wolves and ravens. He didn't follow me into the realms of storkaholism though!!

We have rooks here, but no ravens within the area for a good few years. Fledgling rooks are lovely. Excuse me again, but I have been led to think that death is something like the case of an eagle flying out of sight. It continues to soar on, in all its glory, in all its perfection, even though we who are left behind can't see it any more. Perhaps, according to the individual, we can transpose 'raven' etc for eagle. It hops up and flaps on its way, in all its intelligence and with all its true qualities intact.....

[Mew]

Jo and corvid-lovers - here are two very short clips of Esther Woolfson and 'her' Chicken (Corvus):

http://vimeo.com/4591863

http://vimeo.com/4591870

[Mew]

For your delight...http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_ne ... 125227.stm

[Jo UK]

Thanks, Mew.
From that BBC article - "For example, they will evolve and improve the shape of their tools over time, and will fashion left handed or right handed tools. "

Does this mean that these crows show a left or right preference? If so, then there is something new for us to watch for, in next year's nest cams.
I have seen left and right preferences in both cats and dogs (watch which paw is used first or uppermost at rest. Which side of the mouth/teeth are used most?)

Has anyone else observed this in their pets?

[Jo UK]

Jo and corvid-lovers - here are two very short clips of Esther Woolfson and 'her' Chicken (Corvus):

http://vimeo.com/4591863

http://vimeo.com/4591870

That is an interesting relationship!
"Chicken" seems to have a beak problem - too long and cross-billed?

[Mew]

That is an interesting relationship!
"Chicken" seems to have a beak problem - too long and cross-billed?

I thought perhaps it was just age, at 18 [also a cataract].

[Kitty KCMO]

A link that may be interesting for those who like corvids. I watched a very good show, titled "A Murder of Crows," about our American crows on our Public Broadcasting Service a few days ago. Very intelligent creatures. I am sure those in Europe can see our PBS programs online (unlike the restrictions placed on TV online programs in the UK-- I wish I could see the BBC shows ). Here is the link: http://video.pbs.org/video/1621910826/

[alice44]

I thought perhaps it was just age, at 18 [also a cataract].

I was thinking maybe it was age -- and I had not paid attention to the actual age.

[macdoum]

A link that may be interesting for those who like corvids. I watched a very good show, titled "A Murder of Crows," about our American crows on our Public Broadcasting Service a few days ago. Very intelligent creatures. I am sure those in Europe can see our PBS programs online (unlike the restrictions placed on TV online programs in the UK-- I wish I could see the BBC shows ). Here is the link: http://video.pbs.org/video/1621910826/

'Not available in your country due to rights restrictions'...

[Jo UK]

Kitty and Carmel, there are many BBC articles and films that are available only to UK License payers. It costs £150 each year. A very generous reduction (!) of 25% is allowed to blind people.
I suppose they assume that no-one outside UK pays the TV licence so it is not available.

European Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
Trouble is, I can't tell which BBC things will be available outside UK. Try this one -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_ne ... 161155.stm
An Estonian photographer, Sven Zacek, won second prize with this photograph.

[alice44]

The video Kitty posted a link to was called A Murder of Crows and if you get a chance to see it -- grab it.

On Tumblr I follow a guy who lives somewhere close to me -- he posts lots of crow pictures -- some are really good, but I could not figure out how to post just those - then I thought I could go to his Flickr pages and see if he has a crow group. He does.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29910712@N ... 860534001/

A photo he posted today is just terrific. Sigh... although I found it on tumblr I cannot find it in his flickr stream. Still his Crow and Oregon coast pictures show the Oregon I know and love --- but here is the image that grabbed me today


by Russell Tomlin

[Mew]

'Not available in your country due to rights restrictions'...

Yes, I got the same message here in the UK, Macdoum. But I see there is a dvd: http://www.shoppbs.org/product/index.js ... cove_buyit though I don't know if they will post abroad from the US....?

[Brit]

Yes, I got the same message here in the UK, Macdoum. But I see there is a dvd: http://www.shoppbs.org/product/index.js ... cove_buyit though I don't know if they will post abroad from the US....?

Same her - unfortunately!

[Mew]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_ne ... 353588.stm

[maertha]

Magpies and crows will be trapped and killed in the first cull of its kind to protect songbirds
“The move could pave the way for birds of prey, including buzzards and sparrowhawks, to be culled in the same way. “

Source: The Telegraph, UK, article by Andy Bloxham, 27. Jan. 2011
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthn ... birds.html

Learn more at Raptor Politics:
http://raptorpolitics.org.uk/

Further reading:
Ravenblack Intelligence, by Josef H. Reichholf. Herbig, March 2009
http://www.herbig.net/uploads/tx_ttipcs ... _raven.pdf

[Jo UK]

It is difficult to believe that acts of such obscene stupidity can be even considered.

How will killing some birds bring back the lost habitat of other birds?

[macdoum]

Though the Telegraph article is not complete,I have read what is there.
Has someone gone completely mad ? There is absolutely no evidence that killing one species would protect the others,that I know of..I am speechless.
Does anyone know more ? Is this emenating from the SPA ?

edit from The Australian ;

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/he ... 5995349666
The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 permitted landowners to control crows, magpies and some other corvids for specific reasons, such as protecting game birds, the spokesman said. But he added that the law did not permit a widespread cull. Killing a sparrowhawk is punishable by a pounds 5,000 fine and up to six months in prison

[alice44]

Apparently we have been having some culls of birds, but as far as I know it has been limited to Starlings, which are at least not a native species -- and even that makes me very uncomfortable.

I love my cats but they are a really big problem for song birds. It seems more sensible to at least start by addressing the non-native, non-natural parts of the problem.

I did know a guy here who shot jays (because they are nasty!), and sure enough new ones just kept moving into his neighbourhood he never cut down on the jay population.

[maertha]

Here a current comment from the Conservation Director of the RSPB: "Songbird Survival - this is interesting"
http://networkedblogs.com/dGoXd

Another article:
Culling of the crow: Predators will be destroyed in bid to save songbirds. By Daily Mail Reporter
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ ... z1Cobt9nI6

And a text from March 2010:
Magpies not to blame for songbird decline. Humans rather than magpies are killing Britain's songbirds, according to a new study
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthn ... cline.html

[Mew]

Fasinating, but I don't find this at all surprising.... http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/13799041