Needless to say that we kept an eye out for birds, to compare them to ours in Kodiak.
Sure there were ravens there. They are about 1/2 to 2/3 the size of ours. Here a a few pics of the Arizona birds at dusk and daytime.
What was interesting was that at the unpopulated Canyon de Chelly they always flew in pairs. At the Grand Canyon (where there where more people), there seemed to be many more solo fliers.
Bird people talk about how ravens here fly in pairs. But, I must say, not as common as in the desert. I have come to the conclusion that the more civilization there is, the more independent birds are.
And an article I read in the Anchorage or Fairbanks paper backs me up. According to that, about 30 years ago they put some sort of trackers in Fairbanks ravens. It turned out they flew about 40 miles every night to rest in their nests. In the morning, they would fly back to the city and eat off civilization.
But apparently that is changing. Currently, according to that article, many ravens just seem to stay in the city for their entire life. I guess home is where the food is. And that birds can change their habits.
But people at least seem to miss their home and the things they know. Here is a pic of a "dog" and "bird" that someone made from the snow at the Grand Canyon. Guess they missed their pets. Kind of cute, don't you think?
No, I know what you are thinking. But, that's a real picture, not a Photoshoped one.
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