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.
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.
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