Rich - Raven or Crow in Zion?

[Melody]

Hi Rich,

It's just a snapshot so no one needs to beat me to death on the quality please. Yes it was handheld and no I didn't take much time. However I would like to know if it's a raven or a crow can you tell Rich?

Thanks!

Melody

[Melody]

Here's the backdrop behind the crow, again just real quick as my dad was waiting on me, we are on an old fashioned "road trip" in his motorhome and now in Zion Utah. I almost lost him a few months ago so this trip the object is just to enjoy him and the scenery, pictures are very secondary to me.

Guess even if he was a crow the background made him look impressive, the other folks thought he was a Raven for sure....who knows!

Melody

[Auminer]

Looks like a Raven to me too...but it is hard to tell with them sitting. A Raven is about 21" vs the Crow being 17" or so. When flying the Raven has a wedge shaped tail and the Crow is the regular fan shaped. Whew... :) So I guess you need to measure them :eek: :lol: or kick'em to get them flying. ;)

Looks like you are going through some fine country, but take care of priorities!! ...and send what ya can :)

BTW they both taste the same... :lol:

Dave

[AzRich]

They taste the same... NOW you tell me :)

It's not easy to tell Melody, at least from a distance. Your shots look good to me, it's hard to get detail in those dark birds. I usually over expose the shots a bit for these guys. Then, of course, I forget to reset the exposure and shoot something like a meadowlark which comes out too light :mad:

I've been told we only have Ravens up here, and being that all these birds look to be about 24" that's probably true. I'd bet the same applies to Zion. If you saw them soaring like Hawks, then they're definitely Ravens.

Hope the rest of your trip goes well! We went to Zion last Oct. and it was rainy and overcast pretty much the whole time. Since I had cameras with me I wasn't having much fun.

Now try to get a picture of a jack-a-lope!

[Glasseye]

well shot Melody, yep #1 looks like Raven to me, the very thick beak is the give-away. I've never managed to get that close to one on the ground, even though learning youngsters try to making frustration nests in the pines (140ft up) in my wood, but they always go to the cliffs a couple of miles away down the valley to build their proper nests.

Andy

[HairyHaggis]

Yes its a Raven .... those birds are huge for the crow family to be honest ... and pretty ruthless. Have seen them swoop down and snatch baby rabbits there are pretty carniverous for birds of the non raptor variety.

[AzRich]

yeah, they'll eat eggs, young, dog food...

The trail that I frequent runs right by the 'transfer station' which is where garbage is separated and transferred into trailers. That's the biggest source of my raven shots!

Brian was saying (and so does my book) that if you look closely there's a kind of beard, or hairy feathers under their chin. That's supposed to be a good way of telling too.

[Melody]

Thanks for taking the time and all the info guys.

Dave, thanks, yes it's beautiful country and the priorities are definitely set for me.

Rich thank you, it's just the opposite for me at over 100 degrees and full on sun :(

Andy, thank you!

Uh ruthless??? NOW you tell me! I guess I must attract the ruthless type :lol: We moved onto Bryce from Zion a few days later and I got within 4 feet of two of them I've even got a horrid pic of one of them with a potato chip in his mouth, hey I'm not above bribery however I didn't feed it I swear! Naturally I had the wrong lens on the camera I was standing there for landscape shots not a darn bird landing next to me, and against the light of all things for a black bird, really couldn't they be more considerate? :lol: :lol: Some folks walked near to take pictures and they flew off, animals just aren't intimated by me for some reason, gosh I better never meet a snake! :eek:

Melody