Summary

The author, a raven enthusiast, has recently observed an increase in raven sightings in her neighborhood in Reno, Nevada, after years of longing to see the birds up close.

Abstract

After a lifetime of searching for ravens during outdoor excursions and even naming her child with a name reminiscent of the bird, the author finally spotted her first raven in Reno, Nevada, where she had moved four years prior. Despite initial skepticism from an ornithologist who claimed ravens lived only in the mountains, the author's frequent sightings of ravens, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, have led to a deep connection with these birds. She has since learned their calls, observed their social behavior, and even engaged with them, much to the delight of her dog and despite the indifference or negative reactions from her family and neighbors. The ravens, referred to as "The Conspiracy," have become a significant part of her daily life, with their presence in the neighborhood growing, much to her joy.

Opinions

The author has a strong fascination and affection for ravens, which is evident from her lifelong search for them and the naming of her child.
There is a sense of personal triumph and excitement in discovering ravens in her new hometown, contrary to expert opinion.
The author enjoys a special bond with the ravens, demonstrated by her learning their calls and attempting to interact with them.
The neighborhood's perception of the ravens is mixed, with the author being the most enthusiastic about their presence, while others are less welcoming, possibly due to the birds' noise and mess.
The author views the ravens' increasing population positively and considers herself their "spirit animal" for her unique appreciation of them.

Everyday Ravens

A neighborhood conspiracy

I’ve always searched for ravens.

Whenever I’d go hiking or camping, I’d look for them.

My family and I lived in southeast Michigan for decades. When we would travel to northern lower Michigan, or over the Mackinac Bridge to the UP, I would be on the lookout. I wasn’t sure if these were their territories, but I searched nonetheless.

I would see a crow and would be sure it was a raven. I’d look it up later in one of my bird books, only to realize it was just a crow.

My husband and I gave our first child a name similar to Raven. That’s how much I loved this seemingly elusive bird.

Would I ever get to see one?!!

Four years ago, we moved to northern Nevada. Would there be ravens here?

The 2019 Earth Day celebration in our new town invited ornithology and entomology students from The University of Nevada, Reno to answer visitors questions. I asked an aspiring ornithologist if ravens lived here, in the city of Reno. I got a strong “no” answer. I was told they live up in the mountains, further away from these dense human populations.

I blindly took this proclamation as fact.

Then the coronavirus pandemic hit.

About a month into the shutdown, I found myself on Zoom with a couple of dance teacher friends from Michigan. The Zoom craze benefitted me personally since most of the people I know still live over in Michigan. Suddenly everyone was zooming. It became normalized. Which meant I was seeing these faces again that I haven’t seen in a while. Not because of covid, but because we moved two thousand miles away from everyone we knew!

We were chit-chatting on Zoom when I looked out of the window and saw a huge black bird perched on the telephone wires in front of my house.

I knew immediately it was a raven. Since it was so close, it was plain to see that it was bigger than a crow. I squealed and turned my phone around to show my Zoom friends the bird.

And that was the very first time I saw a raven.

For the next six months or so, I would occasionally see the one raven and feel just as excited as the first time.

Eventually, I started to notice two of them flying around from time to time.

About a year after that first sighting, I heard a cacophony of raven voices in our front yard. I ran out the front door and saw six ravens perched in a row on the telephone wire. Glory glory hallelujah.

While the front of our house faces the telephone poles and wires, our house is in the hills and our backyard faces the valley and the city of Reno. We have big sky views. Perfect for raven watching!

photo by author, on a rock overlooking the city

I started noticing the ravens flying around regularly. I learned their call. By that, I mean I practiced it myself in order to get a reaction out of them. I learned that crows have a higher-pitched “ccaw”, while ravens have a lower-pitched “rraw”. When I would see them in the neighborhood, I would rraw out to them.

The collective noun for a group of ravens is a “Conspiracy”. Such a fitting term for these days and times!

For the next couple of months, I would witness conspiracy activity. I would eagerly share my observations with family members. My husband would feign interest. My teenagers would inform me that “literally no one cares”.

During the summer of 2021, the conspiracy dwindled to two members... I assume a mating pair. Since that time, I see them every single day. Oftentimes I won’t hear them first…I’ll see their big shadow fly past my window, then I’ll quickly look out the window. And there they are.

Even our dog Zephyr is into it. He will hear a raven call, and then run to the window to try to find it!

My daughter and I sometimes make the bird calls when the ravens are out flying. When we do, the ravens will sometimes fly close to our windows. Also, it gets Zephyr revved up when we make these sounds…the next thing we know he is body-slamming us and then running to the window to see if the calls were really ravens.

Their nest is in a coniferous tree in a neighbor’s backyard about six houses over from ours. I asked the old man that lives there if he knows that the ravens are nesting in his backyard. He smiled a tiny smile and said “Yeah…I’m trying to think of something friendly to say about them”. This isn’t the first negative reaction I’ve heard regarding our conspiracy. Last year, I saw an old lady with her grandchild hollering at a raven to go away.

I think the neighborhood resentment towards The Conspiracy is due to the fact that they are pretty loud, plus their poop is huge and messy.

Someone recently asked me if ravens were my “spirit animal”. I said no…I think I am actually their spirit animal because I am the only person in the neighborhood who delights in them and rraws to them.

Sometimes, our bedroom window is more like a TV screen playing PBS’s Nature. For three days in a row last week, I watched a hawk in flight being chased down by a raven. This used to be Hawk Territory. Now, it’s Raven Territory.

Yesterday, after eight months of only two daily ravens, something incredible happened. I saw shadows and looked out of my window to see six ravens flying silently in a circle, near the nest location.

I am fairly certain that these are new ravens, just now learning to fly!

There are some conspiracies you hope won’t thrive and expand.

But I wish for nothing but prosperity and abundance for our neighborhood Conspiracy!