It would be very interesting to know whether these large gatherings of raven
clans are predictable as to date and location. Having seen one I believe it
is perhaps the most impressive bird spactacle that I have ever seen and the
calls of so many ravens were extremely impressive as well. I was birding
alone when I saw the gathering that I reported. It was a slightly spooky out
in the desert - just me and hundreds of ravens - a great experience.

Jeff Gilligan. Portland

>
> ----------
> From: maitreya at OregonVOS.net
> Date: Mon, 31 Oct 2005 11:55:02 -0800 (PST)
> To: "Jeff Gilligan" <jeffgill at teleport.com>
> Cc: "Eugene and Nancy Hunn" <enhunn323 at comcast.net>, "tweeters"
> <tweeters at u.washington.edu>, "OBOL" <obol at lists.orst.edu>
> Subject: Bir Raven Flocks
>
> I once observed a flock of ~500 Ravens, in July, in the back country of
> Crater Lake National Park (southeast of Mt.Scott). For me also, it was an
> unforgettable experience. I was able to watch them for approximately an
> hour. None of them were feeding on anything. As far as I could tell
> there were no concentrated food sources in that part of the forest. They
> were very vocal and my intuitive impression of what I saw was that it was
> a social event. Which begs the question, how do Ravens organize such
> gatherings of the clan. It seems to me that, if such gatherings of the
> clan produce new mated pairs, there also may be an evolutionary adaptation
> at play, one that braodens the genetic diversity of the species.
>
> Maitreya
>
>
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