My Dark Angel

     I know that it must seem strange for a grown woman to be so enamoured by a flying creature.  Especially a raven.  In all reality I never liked birds.  I mean I didn't hate them I actually felt sorry for birds that were kept in a house.  Not being able to do what the Powers That Be intended them to do.  I always had a fascination with crows and ravens however.  I think that comes from the magic side of me.  Ravens and crows have been apart of magic for as long as I can remember.  They have been in more fairy tales than I can count and movies.  My gosh.  Have you ever seen a horror movie, fantasy or sci fi movie that didn't have a crow or raven in it.  The whole mystery behind them is intriguing.  Their intelligence and how they have interacted with the human race has amazed me.  Especially lately.  I have been doing a ton of research on ravens and crows and their relationships with their humans.
     I have come to the conclusion that once you have earned their trust that they are bonded to you.  For as long as they live.  My bond with George gets stronger and stronger every year.  When I'm not working on the weekends I think about him all the time.  If I don't see him for a couple of hours after I get to the barn I start to panic.  Where is George?  Goes through my head over and over.  And finally when I see him my heart goes into my throat.

I think what it was that made me realize how much I truly love George was on time when Kathy and I went trail riding last fall.  George and I had been working a great deal with Positive Reinforcement training.  He has done an unbelievable job!!!  George would meet me at the north end of The Old Silo Road and fly just above my van I had at the time.  He would fly really fast ahead of me and then I would see him sitting on one of the fence posts next to the road.  Once I passed him he would fly down to the farm and circle the driveway and fly over me while I walked into the house making noises the whole time.  

Kathy and I got saddled up after a couple of hours of me being there.  We always start our ride at 10 am.  George was hanging around in the birch tree and we headed up the road.  George flew up high and flew around us all the way down the road.  He would fly by us real close and then land in a tree.  He would cock his head and watch us go by then he would repeat flying past us either right next to us or way above the tree tops.  Once we hit the mountains we lost sight of him, but he always let us know that he was around.  He would click and cluck and Raw Raw Raw at us.  Then we would see him fly in and out between the trees.  It was amazing.  We had our own little body guard.  When we came out of the woods and headed back home via the dirt road he would do the same thing he did on the way into the woods.  The really cool thing was he would race us home and beat us there.  We could see him just hovering in circles around the drive way.  He would get so excited to see us at home.  He would continue to fly around and around until the horses were parked in the paddock!  

George would stay up in the birch tree just watching us.  We would talk to him and tell him what a good boy he was and how handsome he was.  All along he would cock his head and clap his beak and puff out his chest.  Job Well Done George!!!

That day I knew I had a true friend.  Someone who would watch my back.  Someone who would be worried and cared about where I was and what I was doing.  I never thought in a million years I would have a relationship with a Wild Raven.

My raven George, who I happily share with you all each day!!!  Thank you for stopping by George: The Old Silo Raven.

George and I appreciate it very much!!

George and the Goose

     Since its the weekend I  have not been able to go to the farm.  So I figured I have four years of stories to tell, so why not dip into the past on the weekends.
     This story happened a couple of months ago.  It was so funny that I have not forgotten it and is just another great example of how intelligent ravens are and how much of a sense of humor George has for a bird.
     We give George our left overs and food that is starting to go bad.  We feed him any type of meats we have, it doesn't matter what it is.  If it is starting to go bad we feed it to him.  We also have experimented with George to see exactly what he likes to eat and what he doesn't like to eat.
     So far we have found that George will eat just about anything except the following, veggies, pork fried rice mostly.  One of George's favorite meals are my pasta dishes.  He loves meatballs, but he loves my spaghetti and this one dish of chicken alfredo that I made.
     One day before going to work I was looking in my fridge to see what I could donate in feeding George.  I had made some really yummy Chicken Alfredo with huge chucks of chicken in it.  It was really good.  But it had also been a couple of days so I decided that George could have it.
     I brought it down to the farm and got ready to bring horses their medicine and do my usual routine.  Deegan and I headed out the door and down to the barn.  I put George's food on the roof like I always do, called him and went about my business.  I then went back in the house took my spot in front of the window to observe and watch to see if George would eat the chicken alfredo.
     It didn't take long for George to get there.  The Geese got really noisy cause they are not to fond of George.  George used to steal their eggs during the spring and summer.
     Once George got on top of the roof. The big male goose that I have named Jerkoff of obvious reasons began to harass poor George.  He was right underneath the angle of the roof, squawking and hissing like you wouldn't believe.  George just picked up his eggs and went about his merry way.

Eventually after George had eaten his eggs and whatever goodies he wanted he decided it was time to check out the new goodies that I had set out for him.  He would cock his head and take a real good look at. He would taste test a couple of noodles and then found the pieces of chicken.

Jerkoff was still right there underneath him, still hissing and squawking.  George looked down at the goose and cocked his head.  Apparently George thought maybe the goose wanted some of that yummy chicken alfredo cause George started swinging his beak around and tossing some down to the goose.  The noodles I used were round.  Each time George would swing his beak, the noodles would land on the ground or what was more funny they would land right on top of Jerkoff's head!!!!  Plunk, Plunk, Plunk and Jerkoff's head would bounce each time one hit him.  Then George would peak over the edge to see if the goose was eating it,  But he seemed more amused than anything!!!  It was so funny to watch George doing what he was doing.  I didn't get video or photos.  I wish I did.  I couldn't stop laughing!!!!  It reminded me of a cartoon!!!  

George did end up eating all of the chicken alfredo and even eventually picked up the ones that he has tossed down to Jerkoff. Waste not, want not.  So that is my funny George story. I wish you could have been there. You would no doubt still be laughing about it just like Kathy and I do everyday.

That is Jerkoff going after poor Deegan.  Jerkoff is one of the meanest most aggresive geese that I have ever come in contact with.  But I have been learning goose language so he is getting better to handle.  Its all about body language and tail ruffling.  

Thanks for stopping by George: The Old Silo Raven!!  George and I appreciat it! 

I'm being watched!

     Yesterday was a quite day.  It was also a busy day.  Kathy and I along with three of my students are going to a venue called Everything Equine.  It is really picking up speed and becoming very popular here in Vermont.  So after I fed George, the geese, let the horses out I had to get the big truck ready and cleaned out.  Deegan is a big and I mean big German Sheppard and leaved lots and lots of hair.

Two hours of cleaning and vacuuming trying to get as much of the hair as I could off of the seats.  Argh!!!  But I did it.  I also had some help.  Deegan was so good and laid down whichever side I was on and kept watch over me and what I was doing.  Zack the cat came and helped and put his two cents in as well.  

Every once in a while I would look around for George.  It was eerie quite around the farm.  The silence was unreal.  Something was amiss in the air, but I couldn't put my finger on it.  I did get to watch a great deal of our backyard birds between moving from side to side of the truck.  

I was on the drivers side at one point and you know when you get that feeling of being watched?  Well I just couldn't shake that feeling.  It stayed with me for a while. I would look around and could see nothing.  I got the vacuum going and when I stopped it I heard a clack, clack, clack!  I looked around and couldn't see anything and I heard it again.  Then the hair stood on the back of my neck.  I felt like eyes were boring into me.  I looked on the roof, nothing!  I looked on the shed, nothing.  I looked into the sky, Nothing.  

Then I heard the Croak.  Big, deep and throaty.  I finally turned and well.

There's George!  He had been watching me for quite a while.  I was so happy to see him.  I hadn't seen him most of the morning.  He sat in that tree just watching and hanging out with me for about a half an hour.  Then Gracie flew by and they started soaring up in the sky together. It was a beautiful sight.  Gracie came and got food off of the roof and George would take some and stash it or bring some to the nest.  I'm so excited to see how many babies they had this year!!!  I can't wait to get pictures.  

OH! By the way.  Remember when I put the french fries on the shed roof instead of his feeding station.  George did take all of the fries. He didn't leave one of them.  He LOVES french fries and meatballs!  

Thanks for stopping in George: The Old Silo Raven. George and I appreciate it!

George Antics

     That crazy bird!  I swear if somebody else tells me that animals are not smart or they are the stupidest creatures on earth I will invite them to come and watch George! I watched him for a moment today and this is what I saw.

George was walking around the top of the shed pecking on random parts of the boards.  He would also cock his head and sometimes put his head down in between the boards looking for something.  Then he would spring up like something was trying to get him.  Sound familiar??  Well this is where Annie was.

Yep! Annie was in the house sleeping with big brother Zack.  George was out there all by himself looking for Annie to play with!!!  I watched him for about 10 minutes then he gave up.

    Another thing that happened to George this morning was he had to contend with Zack.  Zack is the darker of the two cats.  I had brought George's food out to him and put it on the roof.  I went and gave the horses their grain and had to put ointment in one of the geldings eyes cause he ripped his eyelid.  That is another story.  Anyway, I finished that up and I walked back around the corner to feed the geese their bread when I looked up and there was George!  I started talking to him.  He turned his head and seemed quite miffed about something,  I had all kinds of goodies on the roof for him.  I had a Cornish hen carcass from supper last night and all the innards that came with it.  I also had stuffing, mashed potatoes, hot dog rolls and of course his two eggs!!  

     Well!  Something else caught my eye.  Zack had taken it upon himself to try and steal George's food.  And the kicker was that Zack KNEW that George was there.  He would look up at George and then lick the chicken innards.  He then would look back up at George as if to say, "raspberry" I'm eating your food!"  

I just shook my head.  Zack was such a brat!  I apologized to George and promptly took Zack down. George clacked his beak at me as if to say Thank You!  I took everyone inside. I had Zack in my arms with Deegan and Coco in tow.  I didn't have my camera with me though and I'm kicking myself in the butt for it, but you win some and you lose some.  George however took all of the really great stuff.  That was the eggs and chicken stuff and some of the hot dog roll.

     I hadn't seen George that much today.  I'm thinking because of the interstate work being done so close to the nest that he is staying to home. Or there is some road kill close by and he is having himself a grand ole feast.  

Kathy and I went out for lunch this afternoon and I brought George home some french fries.  He loves those almost as much as he loves eggs!!!  I put them in a different area than the roof today. I wanted to see if he would take them and seeing that they are his favorite food I thought he probably would..  So I put them on the shed that is his second favorite place to hang out at at the farm.  I called to him, but he didn't come.  So I will check in the morning. 

 George has such a wonderful personality.  He has grown up with both Annie and Zack.  He has such a wonderful relationship with them.  Normally a wild bird of George's size would scare off something if they wanted the food, but George just patiently waited and was happy for me to save him and his food.  Doing little things like that helps with the respect aspect of my relationship with George.  He knows that I'm looking out for him and that I will protect him.  Because of this gesture it has created a trusting bond with respect.  I love George and I believe with all my heart that wild bird loves me too!

Thanks for stopping by George: The Old Silo Raven!

George and I appreciate it!

George and Annie the Siamese

     What a beautiful day today was!  The sun was out and not a cloud in the sky.  George on the other hand had a ruff day.  The farm is right next to the interstate.  The state is now working in our section of road which lies next to George and Gracie's nest.  George tried most of the day to try and presude them to move, but to no avail.  George also had to contend with a flock of Turkey Vultures that continued to fly over the farm throughout the whole day.  AND there was a Red Tailed Hawk and Crows invading his territory.
     Poor, Poor George.  The guy just couldn't catch a break.  I took a lot of photographs today.  It was a gorgeous day. I would have been insane not to have taken the time to get a few in.  So around the property I went.  The vet was coming at 1:30 to check on one of our geldings so I had to hurry and do chores.
     I got back to the barn and realized that I should open the gate to the manure pile.  As I was walking it was so quite except for the birds chirping and this incisive scratching and clawing sounds.  I couldn't figure out where it was coming from until I opened the gate and heard the distinct sound of George's wings.  I turned around and this is what I saw.

George was pecking and scraping his beak against the wood.  My first thought was that he found a bug and was trying to kill it.  Then he did these moves.

And then all of a sudden he acted like his tail got caught on fire!

He did land back down on the top of the shed.  He just kept bouncing around and sticking his head between the boards.  He would tap, tap, tap on the wood and clack his beak.  I couldn't for the life of me figure out what that bird was doing. UNTIL!  I finally saw out of the corner of my eye exactly what he was doing.

Do you see her???  YUP! That is Annie.  George and Annie had been playing with each other for I don't know how long before I got there.  They were having a blast!!!  Right after I shot this photo she leaped up and tried to get him and he hopped out of the way.  Then he would throw his head down there and clack his beak at her.  He was genuinely having fun with Annie and Annie was having fun with him.  Pictures tell a story and you can see how relaxed they both are and the humorous looks on their faces.  After a few moments. This is what happened.

You can see that Annie was the one who spotted me and not George and it was Annie that took off and not George. Because Annie KNOWS we don't like her going after the birds.  Look at the look on her faceRav. She is saying, "Crap! Sierra caught us!!!" 

After Annie took off for a brief moment this is what George did!

He carried on like a spoiled child whose toy had been taken away.  He was stomping his feet and clacking his beak and fluttering up and down.  Eventually Annie did come back to finish playing.

And just as she got back to play with him George saw me and he KNOWS he is suppose to be nice to the kitty's.  He took off like a bandit with his tail on fire.

This is not the first time that Annie and George have been caught playing together.  I caught them one other time.  Annie and her brother Zack both have been seen playing with George.  The cats are two years old and have grown up with George.  George is very patient with them and loves them.  I love watching George interacting with the cats.  I can just see the three of them in a movie where George plays the wise old mentor of the two whipper snappers.

These last photos are of George and Annie in September 2012  at George's feeding station.  So you see they are used to seeing each other in close quarters.

I love my life on the farm!!!

Thanks for stopping by the George: The Old Silo Raven. George and I appreciate it!

New Cover photo and exciting news.

     I have a tendency to be an insomniac.  So I get really creative in the very early hours like right now.  I have been up since 3am.  It is now 4:26am and just created a new photo for my blog.  Here it is!

The silo on the left is the very reason that the Old Silo Road got its name.  This silo is over 100 years old and is one of the original building still left in this part of Barnet, Vermont.  I have loved this old silo my whole life. It would be the perfect Rapunzel tower.  I have always wanted to own the property that it sits on and matter of fact it is for sale, but I will never own this.  I don't make enough to barely live on.  So I get the privilege of passing it twice a day, 5 days a week.  Let me know what you think of my new photo!!  

Now onto the great news!  Gracie was around the farm a great deal this morning!!!  She came and got food off of the roof and brought it back to the nest until the food was all gone.  So I firmly believe that WE HAVE BABIES!!!  I don't know how many.  I won't know for a couple of more weeks.  It will take between 35 to 42 days before they can fly.  I would go check, but I really don't want to disturb them.  I don't want George and Gracie to move.  So I'm hoping that because they brought their babies to the farm last year that they will do the same this year.  And now that I have a better camera I will be able to get some great shots of the babies. 

Last years babies were so noisy and full of personality that we named them Squeak and Squawk!  Squawk was extremely noisy and extremely demanding.  We thought George and Gracie were going to pull their feathers out!!!!  But to their credit they dealt with their noisy children like champs.  Below are a few photos of George and Gracie over the years.  You will notice in one of the photos that George and Gracie are on the back of one of the Hereford calves taking hair off of him.  Its a little blurry, but I was so excited to get such a photo!  George is the one that you can see first.  

Thanks for stopping by George: The Old Silo Raven.  George and I appreciate it!

Gracie: George's Lady

     Today was a wonderful day at the farm because not only did George show up first thing this morning, but he brought Gracie with him too.  Gracie has been setting in her nest for the past couple of weeks.  Ravens will nest for about 18 to 21days. And its only the female that lays on the eggs, thus the reason why I know George is a male and not a female. She and George have been giving us about two clutches a year.  That we have noticed.  Last year they had only two babies with each clutch.  Let me tell you, they are some noisy babies!!!!
     George and Gracie have been together for as long as I know.  I have been working with them for the past 4 years and I have no idea how old they are or how long they have been a mated pair.  They do defend their territory with great ferocity.  George is such a wonderful mate.  I have even seen him shield Gracie from a bad snowstorm once.  George and Gracie are both very attentive with their fledglings.  I love watching the two of them with their children.  They are so attentive and are very patient with them.
George and Gracie are the only Ravens for about 20 miles in every direction.  They mostly stay near the farm though.  We have a great water supply and with their nest being near the interstate and the farm they are always guarenteed food.
     Gracie is not quite as big as George.  She also carries herself differently than George does.  Gracie lands tenderly and hops a great deal out of nervousness of her surroundings and George just plops himself right down.  He is heavier in the chest and Gracie is quite a lady.  Everytime I see Gracie she reminds me of a princess and George the commoner.  Also when they fly Gracie tends to tip her wing tips up more in an arch where George is more level.  Gracie also perches in the Willow tree which is oppisite of the feeding station, closer to the house.  She will perch on the birch tree, but does so at the very tippy top, where George will go to the lower branch.  There are three positions to the tree.  Gracie will start at the tippy top and make her way down as she sees there are no threats where as George will enter from the next to top perch to just landing on the roof.  He is clearly more comfortable with the farm surroundings that she is.
     Below is a photo of Gracie in the Willow tree that I was able to take today.  I was so happy to see her and I hope that I will be able to get photos of the babies this year as well.  I should be able to hear the fledglings in a week or so.  Its amazing to hear them first thing in the morning.  George has also started bringing more food to the nest instead of stashing it like he normally does.  So, we wait with baded breathe!

Thanks for stopping by George: The Old Silo Raven!!!  George and I appreciate it!

Gracie in the Willow tree just before she jumped on the roof for her breakfast.

This is Gracie realizing I'm in the house.  George and Gracie and can see me in the window.  I can get some of the best curious looks from George when he is trying to see me in the window.

My Lassie has wings!!!

     On Friday the 19th of April.  I went down the farm to visit after taking my mom to the doctors.  While there I grabbed a shovel and helped Kathy do chores.  While I was inside I heard the Whoosh Whoosh of George's powerful wings.  I waited to see if he would call to me and it didn't take long for him to give me a throaty "Croak Croak".  I came out of the barn and he was perched way up in the birch tree looking down.  I laughed at him and said, "Hi George, How's my boy?"  George became excitable and left.  I went in the house and got him an egg.  I put it on the roof for him and started heading back to the barn.  Kathy came out of the barn just as I was heading back in and George was right back on his tree.  We stood there talking to him.  Me mostly.  Then all of a sudden George became very agitated and started talking and croaking.  He began to look at me and croak. He was clearly not happy about something and he would squat down, croak , move side to side and he seemed like he was having a melt down.  He left in a hurry and circled the cow pasture and came back to the tree.  When he left I went back into the barn with Kathy.  Shortly after, George was back and he began his agitated talking again.  I went back out and tried to calm him down.  Then I noticed that he was looking at me then behind me, then at me again.  He did this several times.
George and Gracie's nest is not far from the farm.  So I turned around and to my astonishment George was croaking aggressively at two Turkey Vultures that were flying very very low to the ground right out in our horse pasture.  The closer they circled toward the barn the closer they were circling toward the nest.
     I looked up at George and told him I would take care of it.  I started walking toward the two Turkey Vultures and they flew out of sight away from us and the nest.  After George flew back to the nest, but not without flying around me first then going to check on his family.  Gracie is nesting right now.  This is a very sensitive time for George and Gracie.
     Last year George and Gracie had an all out battle with those two Turkey Vultures.  I guess I'm going to have to start training those Vultures next.
     This photo was taken today.  Here in Vermont it was so warm and there was hardly a cloud in the sky.  Kathy, her husband Bill, my daughter and I were putting up fence all morning.  George made himself quite available to me all day.  He flew over us all day as if he was protecting us.  He even followed us back up the road when we were heading back from the Barnet store with lunch.  We sat out there on the tailgate and had a picnic.  George kept us intertained as he flew circles around us the whole time.  He was probably hoping I would share some of my roast beef sandwich.

Thanks for stopping by!  George and I appreciate you taking your time out to read about our adventures.

This video is the very first one I made of George and his egg stealing.  The reason we started feeding George eggs is because he would walk right into the goose pen and steal their eggs.  And we were trying to raise some babies.  Then I read that one of Raven's favorite food is eggs!  So we feed he chicken eggs and goose eggs.  We only feed him the goose eggs that are not being laid on.  Because we do this for him now he no longer steals anyone's eggs.  He was also stealing eggs from the neighbors hen house.  So now that George gets a regular ration of eggs everyday he is not stealing anymore!!!  This also saved him from being shot.  I had to go and explain to the neighbor what was happening and she finally told me after some time that George had stopped stealing from her hen house as well. PHEW!!!!  I almost lost my buddy!!!  So here is the video and I hope you enjoy it!  Thanks for stopping by! Love Sierra and George!

The Raven Who Stole The Light

     This morning I made a little video with a story attached.  It is a Tribal story about how Raven stole the light from a mean Chief.  I have included photos of George and I'm reading the story.  Thank you for stopping by George: The Old Silo Raven!

The Old Silo Raven and The East Barnet Fox.

     Yesterday was one of the most memorable days of my life.  Something I am not going to forget for a long long time.  I spent my teenage years growing up in East Barnet, Vermont.  My mother lived there in the same house for 25 years.  The last 5 years or so my mother had come to know a fox.  This fox would always show up in the garage eating her cat food.  She never tried to hurt it and it actually really liked my mother.  The fox isn't the normal red fox, but a grayish brown.  He is huge and is so beautiful. The tip of his tail and the white on his neck is as white as winter's first snowfall.
     I had to go and pick up my mother in West Barnet, Vermont to take her to get some surgery done.  I first had to stop at the farm and drop Kathy off a newspaper and check on the gelding named Jake.  Jake had ripped his eyelid somehow and needed stitches.  But that is a story for another time.  I looked in the sky and was hoping to see George.  BUT he wasn't around.  I was very very early so part of me knew that I probably wouldn't get to talk to him.  So with a slightly heavy heart I got in my truck and headed south on the Old Silo Road and into East Barnet.
     Ravens have a 100 mile radius in their territory flight pattern.  So when I'm in that area I'm always looking for George if he isn't at the farm.  But to no avail NO GEORGE!!!!
     I finally got to East Barnet and turned onto Rt 5.  Started up the road and about 2/10ths of a mile I see a fox on the side of the road.  I slowed right down trying to get my camera ready.  And I stopped the truck completely and began to rub my eyes.  There, RIGHT THERE in front of me was the beautiful grey fox and GEORGE!!!!  George and the fox were on the side of the road eating french fries out of a McDonalds bag.
     George's other favorite food is french fries by the way!!!  So I can't believe what I'm seeing.  Then I start to creep up and George takes off, but I see him look at the truck and he turned around.  The fox took off like a flash.  I waited for George to go back to the bag. It didn't take long at all.  I stopped the truck and got out.  I didn't walk up, I kept my distance.  I watched him for a moment and he looked at me and tilted his head.  He knew who I was!!!  I began to chuckle and that brought him to attention.  I said to him, "George, You better eat all of those fries up before you get run over."  George looked at me and clapped his beak together, cocked his head took a couple of fries and then he flew away.  I couldn't believe what I saw and I still can't.  To see a fox and a raven sharing a meal together is a once in a lifetime experience and one I will not forget!!!

     I found another story about a fox and a raven.  It is a story from Aesop.  Here is the link so you can here another great story.

https://sites.google.com/site/theaesopsawards/the-fox-and-the-raven


The photo below are not mine! I wish I could have gotten a photo of them.  So the photos are to prove that a raven and a fox can be together without hurting each other.

Stay Tuned for more stories of George: The Old Silo Raven!

George and I thank you for stopping by!!!!

The Video is here!

I know its been a while since I have been on.  I wanted to make this video as perfect as possible.  The reason I put this together is that you who love ravens or not can see how a raven thinks and tries to figure out methods to accomplish his agenda.  I'm hoping that any raven biologist out there not only finds this amusing but helpful.  In the video you will see the barn and a little bit of the grounds.  Here in Vermont we have five seasons, not four.  We have Winter, Mud, Spring, Summer and Fall seasons.  The farm is also over 100 years old and one of the original homesteads on the Old Silo Road.  So please do not be offended by its messy appearance.  I hope you enjoy the video!!!  George and I Thank you for stopping by!!!

Exciting new video

Today was a really great day.  The weather here in Northeast Vermont is not the greatest.  We have a storm coming so it has been really dreary.  So I had to think of something to occupy my time.  I wasn't in any hurry to do chores so I decided to use some of the food that a family gave me for George.  I had a half eaten cooked chicken carcass and some homemade chicken nuggets.  I began cutting up the chicken and making a couple of meals for him.  I was able to get five meals out of it.  After I got George's meal ready which was about 1 or 2 pounds of cooked chicken, three or four of the homemade chicken nuggets and two chicken eggs.  I went out with it and brought my camera.  I decided right then and there that I was going to conduct an experiment.  I have seen a few videos of Ravens on youtube and shows on them from National Geographic.  I have seen them in the wild on television, but no one has ever documented a wild Raven interacting with a human.  So I decided to start a video today.  I start off my discribing what I feed George.  We will even get a glimpse of Gracie for a very brief second.  When you see her your going to ask yourself how can she tell.  That will be a story for another time.  I have to edit the video first. I will try to have it on by  tomorrow.  I usually work in the evenings cause I'm so busy during the day.  My time is Eastern Standard Time.  I hope you enjoy the video when it comes out.  Please let me know what you thought of the video. I would love to hear about your stories with Ravens.

George: The Old Silo Raven

Welcome to the beginning of what I believe will be an unique experience and great fun!  This blog is about how, what, when and where I fell in love with this fascinating bird.  I will not just be sharing the story of my life with George, but I will also be putting interesting facts and videos of George and other Ravens on here.  I will be conducting my own study of Ravens in the northeast.  I hope you will learn a great deal from me and George, but most of all I hope you enjoy the good times I have talking to and about George: The Old Silo Raven.

I met George in 2010.  It was the summer time.  I just started back working on the farm where I keep my horse Lacey.  I personally have never been into birds and never really appreciated them until George.  I remember the day meeting George just like it was yesterday.  It was a hot day and I was visiting that day.  My friend Kathy who owns the farm told me to look up because the big black bird had come.  I looked up into the air and I couldn't breathe.  He was enormous.  His wing span could rival an adult Bald Eagle.  I was smitten that very first day.  I thought he was a crow at first but then after studying the picture Kathy took to others on the web I knew that he was a Raven.  Ravens are not wide spread up here in Vermont.  We have more Crows than Ravens.

Kathy had been feeding George.  She didn't name him George, she just called him the big black bird.  He was little skittish of humans and he really doesn't like Kathy's big German Sheppard either.   I watched him one morning and something else happened that day.  He brought his mate.  For several months I watched the two ravens.  My friend Kathy loves crows and ravens and she happened to find an author who wrote about Ravens.  

This book is very insightful on the Raven and their habits.  It helped me a great deal in working with George. I was able to find out that Raven's mate for life.  So I realized that this huge Raven was bringing his mate to the farm and showing her where to feed.  They were so fun to watch.  You wouldn't think that animals have a sense of humor, but within this blog you will find that they do.  I also noticed how attentive George was to his mate.  Always shielding her from the snow and wind when perched.  He always let her eat first when they were together.  The way these ravens were acting with each other made one couple come to mind.  That was George and Gracie Burns.

George and Gracie Burns were the most funny, loving, and dedicated couple I remember.  A relationship to withstand time.  That is when I decided to name the Ravens, George and Gracie.  And they have been together now for 4 years and are still my best comic relief!

Once I named them I decided that I wanted to see if the myths about Ravens were true.  There are many myths about Ravens. All through history Ravens were revered as the creators of the earth, bringer of death and disease.  Tricks and lies are also other things that Ravens were said to bring with them.  Ravens are also known to be in alliances with the devil, witches and wizards.  They are also known by the Native Americans as the trickster. Here is a website of an old Cree Indian story about a raven.

http://www.calverley.ca/Part06-Legends/6-005.html

So taking all of my knowledge I tried to think of a training method to use to get George to come when I call. At the farm we use a training technique called Clicker Training.  Clicker Training is a type of Positive Reinforcement training used first on dolphins by Karen Proyer, but now with chickens with Bill Bailey and with horses with Alexandra Kurland.  When a pet does what you ask you click with a special clicker or with your tongue making a click sound.  Then you give your pet the treat.  Timing and Patience are key.  When giving your pet the click then administering the food is the positive reinforcer and  the animal will start seeing that if I do this type of thing then I get treated for it.  I knew that I could use this type of method with George, but not the clicking sound because it would make him leave.  So I had to come up with another way to earn George's trust.  That is when I discovered Pressure/ Release training.  Some horse trainers use it in training their horses.  You push or shape a horse into your desired task and when it finally does it you reward it with releasing the pressure.

So I started by putting food out there in the morning and mimicking what Kathy had already started by imitating a Raven calling.   In the mornings I would holler his name, put the food on the roof and wait 20 feet away and when he came I would say, "Good Boy George."  After working with him for 4 years I can now call him and he will show up within 1 min or a little longer.  Below is a video of the time allotment of George coming to me when I call him.

Please stay tuned for some really wonderful and unbelieveable stories.  Learn little tidbits and facts about Ravens.  And maybe we will both be able to see George and Gracie's babies this summer!  Thanks for stopping in and I hope you enjoy the site.