Photo: Common Raven, Wendy Davis/Audubon Photography Awards
South Arlington birders were thrilled last year when Common Ravens, which had been haunting the Long Branch Nature Center area, built a nest on a Route 50 abutment where the roadway crosses the W&OD Trail. Even better, they raised two chicks successfully. See last year’s story.
So, they were doubly pleased when the Ravens returned this year to the same nest. They refurbished it a little, adding Red Fox fur from a nearby carcass, and raised four chicks. It’s a pretty big nest but looked awfully small when it held four young birds on the verge of fledging, particularly when one of the adults returned with food.
Adult Raven and four demanding youngsters, David Howell
Although some birders were surprised to see the Ravens move into such an urbanized area, Cornell’s All About Birds reports that Ravens are doing well in many urban environments. They are omnivores, and can take advantage of the food careless humans leave behind. They have certainly succeeded so far in South Arlington. Cornell reports that clutch size for Common Ravens is 3-7 eggs, so we’ll have to wait to see whether the pair expands its family further.