Re: Raven calling at Pine Knob Road
Stephen G Sanford (tanager@mail.bcpl.lib.md.us)
Mon, 09 Feb 1998 19:41:27 -0500
Robin, et al,
I was not present for the Raven call at Pine Knob Rd, but it interests
me because, about one year ago, I heard a rather deep, hoarse 3-note
call that sounded like a Raven to me on Powells Run Rd, which is a
delightful little road that hangs south off Liberty Rd about a mile east
of Liberty Lake. (I.e., it's about 5 miles southeast of Pine Knob Rd.) I
saw the bird flying in the distance, and it looked kind of hefty, but I
couldn't get a positive visual ID. I have heard a lot of Ravens
elsewhere that were visually confirmed.
Note, two of our best Baltimore area birders did visually identify a
Raven north of Towson last year. One of the birders was in a swimming
pool at the time!
I wonder how similar the calls of Fish Crows (or young American Crows?)
are to a Raven. And is the 3-note hoarse call that most of us assume is
a Fish Crow really a young American Crow as some have cautioned? (Or a
Raven?) The only call that I have felt was unambiguously a Fish Crow is
the nasal two-note "ER-er" call. But I really don't know. How do you
distinguish the 3-note calls of these three species? Can you really
distinguish them? (Should we add Chihuahuan Ravens?) I'd be interested
in any commentary on this.
Steve Sanford