Billy and Betsy
Billy, left, and Betsy, perched on a tree in the yard.
In some ways, this is probably the easiest blog post to write of all the ones I have done. After all, it is the story of Billy and Betsy, my nearest neighbors for the last decade and a couple I interact with almost daily. On the other hand, it is difficult because it seems impossible to tell their story in a few measly words and pictures.
The pair of common ravens came into our life in February, 2011, when they decided to try and build a nest (their first, we suspect) on top of Tower Rock. They soon discovered the reasons why it was not an ideal location for a stick nest but instead of moving out of the valley, they opted to relocate closer to our house.
One youngster in the nest from a few years ago.
The nest they use now received an upgrade from us in the form of a cedar log we installed one winter day a number of years ago to prevent the chicks from falling out as the front wall gradually slid away. Even though the ravens were gone when we made the change, they immediately recognized the difference and spent several days examining it closely before deciding to accept it as part of the structure.
The golden eagles and the ravens ignore each other for most of the year but Billy and Betsy get very defensive when they are nesting and will attack the much larger birds if they get too close.
Billy in January, 2021, with the remains of a great horned owl he scavenged from somewhere close by.
Ravens eat many things and Billy and Betsy are experts at raiding pigeon nests. I have seen them work together to hunt and catch adult pigeons as well and they are adept at finding rodents and baby cottontails to dine on. They also are quite content to scavenge from carcasses killed by others and, as a last resort, they will even eat the llama food.
In the last nine years leading up to this one, the raven pair fledged a total of 7 chicks with many more hatched but not surviving to leave the nest. This year was a total surprise as they hatched five chicks, four of which fledged. The youngsters have been out of the nest for almost two weeks now and yet they still insist on inhabiting our yard, noisily demanding to be fed by the two overworked adults who seem to have all they can do to keep up.
Betsy leaves the nest carrying waste after dropping off food to the hungry quadruplets.
Billy, left, faces three of the four juveniles as they harass him for food. The fourth youngster is just out of sight on the ground.
Billy and Betsy are doing an amazing job of providing food for the four growing youngsters and I have observed them trying to teach the kids how to hunt for pigeon nests. One of the biggest issues around here is getting enough water for the little ones. The parents will fly to the irrigation ditch regularly but they seem to have instructed the juveniles to drink from the llama trough. In an attempt to avoid tragedy, we put out a more shallow water container for the birds and they seemed to figure it out immediately.
One of the youngsters getting ready to get a drink from the shallower trough.
In past years there always comes a day when Billy and Betsy make it clear to their offspring that they need to leave and find a territory of their own. I am not sure how that will work this year with so many but I have to admit, I am looking forward to the day when we have our peace and quiet back again!
Four young ravens can make a lot of noise as they call for food!
To hear more about Billy and Betsy and their offspring, be sure to listen to my podcast on the subject by clicking the button below, or by downloading the latest episode from Apple Podcasts or Spotify.