The Three Ravens

I went back to see Corvus corax hamptonensis, the Common Ravens of Hampton Bays, this morning. They are hanging around the water tower in Hampton Bays where they nested and I saw three of the four of them -- two young and one of the adults -- sitting on the lawn. The water company plot consists of the tower, various buildings and out-structures, a large lawn with a few trees, a lot of open space and a water pipe or faucet which is dripping water on a non-stop basis (and attracts birds including the ravens to splash and drink). Next door is the Hampton Bays Volunteer Ambulance building surrounded by a parking lot and another wide open lawn; this seems to be on land donated by the Suffolk County Water Authority. Both buildings are surrounded by a small but fairly dense pine-and-oak woodland -- virtually a slice of the Pine Barrens right in the middle of Hampton Bays (probably also owned by the Water Authority). The area is birdy; birds like woodland backlots with interspersed open spaces. The first day I went to find the ravens, there were at least two dozen crows in and around the pine trees on the Water Authority property. They were not Common Crows but Fish Crows with their characteric nasal 'caw'. I don't think I have ever seen more than two or three Fish Crows together in one place but these birds were all over the place and not another corvid in sight. Eventually we did get a distant view of a Raven but I went back the next morning to get some better views. I also heard an unusual bird call or song by the Ambulance building that I didn't recognize. I couldn't spot the bird that was doing the vocalizing and I was anxious to find the Ravens (I found the two young ones on the tower) so I gave up the search. But this morning I spent a lot of time by the Ambulance building explaining to the volunteer ambulance people (yes, they were on duty early in the morning) what I was doing and listening for the mysterious song. No luck with the song but I did see a lot of birds including Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Eastern Phoebe, Indigo Bunting and a young or female Baltimore Oriole. Plus a lot of Fish Crows and three Ravens sitting out on the grass.

Hmmm. Three Ravens. Isn't that an old song?

Eric Salzman