Great Story Rob! My husband use to bowhunt elk, and if a raven spotted him while hunting elk, that would be it. A weird orrrck type call from a raven and the elk would melt into the bushes.

Years ago, I was trying to watch ravens eat at a carcass in graham. I could hear them from my car and would walk down the hill to sit and try to wait them out. I made a blind of tree limbs. Every time they would of course hear or spot me and fly back into the dark trees. After about 10 min they would send out a spy in the shape of a crow, he or she would fly over my head caw and go back to the woods. no matter how long I waited they would not come to eat, though the crow would check on me every 20 minutes or so. I would finally walk back up the hill and I could hear the ravens calling before I got to my car, this went on for days, until there was nothing left for them to eat.
I never did see the ravens, just one crow.

Dawn Bailey
Eatonville, WA
dawnsdog at rainierconnect.com


"The worlds not changed.....there's just less in it"
Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott
----- Original Message -----
From: Rob Sandelin
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Sent: Thursday, September 20, 2007 5:38 PM
Subject: [Tweeters] An interesting interaction between a raven and a blackbear and me


I was scouting Osprey Park in Sultan for a couple field trips I am doing next week to view pink salmon spawning. It was a drizzly morning and I had the place to myself. When I reached the edge of the river bar, downstream on the "island" was a black bear eating Salmon. I had stopped at the edge of the trees to scan since I have seen otters and mink here during salmon rungs. To my delight the wind was coming off the river. I remembered there is a side trail through the woods which leads to an opening across from the island and so I put my stealth hat on and snuck downstream through the woods. As I approached the edge of the opening I found a perfect place, maybe 50 feet across the channel to view the bear. I kicked myself mentally for not bringing my camera but I happily settled down for some choice bear watching. My bear watching however was short lived. After a couple of minutes a raven flew down the river and landed in a cottonwood behind the bear. It made an odd call that I have not heard a raven make before and immediately the bear lifted up its head and began looking all around. Its gaze passed by me several times so I figured it did not see me. After about 45 seconds of scanning the bear turned around and looked directly at the Raven. The raven made the odd call again and this time the bear picked up the salmon it was eating and it moved quickly, but not running, away from my side of the island and then downstream out of view. In my experience with bears in the past when they detect you they stare in your direction. This bear never did that, and the wind was in my favor.

The Raven then flew into a tree almost overhead of me and made even an odder call, this one sounding almost like a cell phone ring! Three sharp rolling metallic notes in quick succession. I came away with the distinct impression that the raven "told" the bear that I was there. As I walked back through the woods the raven followed me for a time, although it made no further sounds.

Rob Sandelin
Naturalist, Writer
The Environmental Science School, Monroe, WA


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