Subject: [Tweeters] Re: corvid freeways
Date: Oct 12 21:55:34 2005
From: stan Kostka lynn Schmidt - lynnandstan at earthlink.net


Yesterday afternoon's warm sun drew me out onto one of my favorite
walks, up a nameless nearby hill, east of Bryant, just over 1000
feet, a fairly steep west face, with great views, due to some recent
timber harvest. (same hill where the bluebirds showed up this
spring). As I approched the summit, I heard and soon saw several
ravens playing on the updrafts produced by the warm sun combined with
a light west wind. A group of seven birds moved back and forth in
front of me , and soon moved off to the east. Almost immediately
several other ravens rose into view, also riding the thermals up
the face, then continuing to the east. With the sun low in the
west, distant ravens flying far below were easily located , as
the sun reflected off their backs and outstretched wings.
Singly, but more often in pairs, or threesomes, the birds came
from the west, just above the trees, hundreds of feet below me,
rode the updrafts in front of me, and disappeared behind me to the
east. In the short time I was there, perhaps 20 minutes, I
counted about 50 ravens, all coming from the west, riding the
updrafts up and over me, and disappearing behind to the east, all
using just about the same flight path. It occurred to me I was
looking down on one of these so called corvid freeways, commuting
ravens as described in Kevin's recent post about the Anchorage birds.
The walk down winds around to the east side of the hill, and some
birds were still moving to the east as I descended. By now the sun
was off them, and I could not see exactly where they might be
going, but if I had to guess, would say there is a congregation and
roost, somewhere at the end of that line.

Stan Kostka
lynnandstan at earthlink.net
Arlington