Big Boy - a photo on Flickriver

Big Boy

            I've been supplying peanuts to the local ravens for years, but Big Boy caught my special attention because I could easily recognize him by sheer size compared to others.  The prominent throat pouch indicates a male.  They use it to carry food back to their mate on the nest.  Females have a less prominent pouch.  Since I could recognize him, I gave him a name.

In my still very limited understanding of raven culture, I think he claimed the territory that happens to be where I walk with Tidda in the morning.  He and his wife, whom I named Cecilia, regularly come to get roasted unsalted peanuts in the shell from me.  I toss one or two peanuts at a time for them as I'm walking along in order to not attract a flock of seagulls or hordes of crows.  This is a private conversation, and they know exactly how to follow along and where to land in preparation for the next one.

Later in the summer, they brought their two youngsters to teach the art of extracting peanuts from this human.  (Years ago, a raven had come to teach me how to become a peanut carrier.) It was quite amusing and took weeks.  At first the raven kids would flee in a flutter when I threw a peanut their way.  Then they kept   wanting their parents to feed them the peanuts.

When eventually the first young one bravely snatched up a peanut I had thrown, I felt delighted and proud!

Big Boy is very involved with raising the family.  He's comfortable around me and Tidda, and I'm pretty sure I probably tossed peanuts for him when he was a kid.

Is he gorgeous or what??

Taken in: United States / Oregon / Wedderburn (show map)

Taken on: May 24, 2024

Tags:

Common Raven

bird

Corvus corax « less

Sets appears in: • Ravens • Oregon wildlife

Camera: Nikon D750, f/13.0, 1/200 sec, 210mm, ISO 500 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D750
Lens:	70.0-210.0 mm f/4.0-5.6
Aperture:	f/13.0
Exposure Time:	0.005 sec (1/200)
Focal Length:	210mm
ISO:	500
Exposure Bias:	+1/3 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Shutter speed priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Center-weighted average
White Balance:	Manual
Light Source:	Fine Weather
Gain Control:	Low gain up
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Elements 13.0 (Windows)
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