Two years ago, our friend Edgar and his wife Aida had 4 Raven babies. They died in a freak extended brutally cold April rainstorm. It was very sad. They both went off and did their Raven things. We’d see Edgar occasionally during the year, but not much.
Last year, Edgar and a wife (I don’t think it was Aida) tried nesting in a tree further up the canyon. She sat on the nest for a while, then for whatever reason, the nest was abandoned before any babies hatched. Edgar and his wife went off and did their Raven things. We saw Edgar more frequently through the year; whenever he showed up and hollered for a treat, we hopped right to it. Bread crumbs, expired raw chicken, cat food, dead lizard, dead mice. Once I trapped a pack rat and tossed that out for him and that was The. Best. Raven. Treat. Ever!
Edgar mostly hung around over last fall and winter; and now that it’s spring, he’s set up camp here. He hollers for a treat, I put out one a day for him. I’m starting to up the ante: if he wants more than one treat, he has to retrieve it while I sit outside on the porch and watch him. So far he’s come close to getting the treat (it’s plenty far away from me), but it’s just too much for him. I’ll keep trying. I tell him if he come and sits on my shoulder I’ll feed him all day long. He hasn’t taken me up on that yet.
He does have a girlfriend again this year (I don’t know if it’s the same Raven as last year). She’s highly skittish and won’t come near, though she hollers at him from a distance while he’s near and hollering at me for food. If they are going to nest, they’d better get busy. By March 26 two years ago Edgar and his mate were building a nest. So far I haven’t seen evidence of it.
I was gone a week at the beginning of March. My neighbor said Edgar hollered for the first two days for a treat, but gave up after he realized I was gone. The very day I got back home, I had walked out to see the horses, and Edgar saw me in my red coat and he flew right up to see me, floated low and zigzagged over me as if to say, “Where have you been!” We went right back to the once-a-day treats.
When I work our two horses in the arena, Edgar likes to fly up in the Big Tree and watch. Sometimes when I’m out hiking up our canyon, or I’m out riding on my horse, Edgar comes flying over to check on us. He has to keep an eye on his vending machine, after all.
I am thrilled to have the privilege of calling Edgar Raven my friend!
pizza crust!
