Tues, Mar. 7

Partly cloudy and calm. 27F at 7am.

We have had extra bait sitting out in front of the office since at least December. Every day we have up to 9 magpies feeding, but not once has a raven come in to feed. That is, until this morning. When I came around the corner, I flushed 4 ravens off the bait and got a glimpse that at least one was banded. We got a dusting of snow last night, and maybe that has enticed the birds to feed again. Otherwise, I can't imagine why the birds would feed now and not over the past few months.

At around noon, Derek and I watched as 7-9 ravens bathed in the snow and the river. They would go down and take a dip in the river, then go up and bathe in the snow. They would snow-plow through the snow and start flapping around to try and "dry" off. Then, each one would fly up to the top of the bank and do flips down the bank. Once they got about 1/2 way down, they would go up again and roll down the hill. Each one did this and it looked like great fun for them. Looked pretty cold to me, but it was almost 40F out.