Boulevard Sentinel, 1 November 2014 — Page 12

November 2014

VOICE IN THE EAGLE ROCK WILDERNESS

page 12

CROWS AND RAVENS SPOTTED IN THE SKIES ABOVE EAGLE ROCK by Christopher Nyerges For a free copy of Nyerges' outdoor class schedule, contact SelfReliance, Box 41834, Eagle Rock, CA 90041, or check it on-line at www.ChristopherNyerges.com. Recently, I rented and watched both "The Crow: City of Angels," a movie that was set in the Los Angeles area. I thought that it would teach me a little bit about the crows and ravens I often see in the skies of Eagle Rock. (It didn't). "The Crow" was about a man who had been murdered along with his son by a bunch of "lowlifes" depicted as punk musicians. The man — named Ashe — somehow came back to life with the help of a crow so he could carry out vengeance against the murderers. It was as if the crow used the man to carry out the crow's agenda. Part of our post-movie discussion centered around these unique birds called ravens and crows, common throughout most of North America. I had long been aware of the belief in Northern Mexico that sorcerers can take on the body of a raven or a crow. Sometimes a raven or a crow is referred to as a nagual. (Eagle has also been referred to as nagual, a complex word but often roughly analogous to the English word "sorcerer.") In some ways, you could call the crow/raven the "coyote" of the sky, since the coyote seems to have many of the same survival traits as the crow and raven. Since we see crows and ravens just about every morning on our neighborhood walks, we wanted to discover more about

these creatures. First, what is the difference between a crow and a raven? Both belong to the family Corvidae, and bird-people often refers to both the crow and raven as corvids, a family which includes blue jays, magpies, and nutcrackers. Crows are generally smaller, with a wing span of 17 to 21 inches, a sharper bill, and a squared-off tail. Ravens are bigger, with a wing span of 21 to 27 inches, a wedge-shaped bill, and a rounded or wedge-shaped tail. When I see the jet black bird in the sky and I'm not sure whether its a crow or a raven, my rule-of-thumb is that the crow is slightly smaller. If I see the tail feathers, my reminder is the letter "C" — the crow tail feather is cropped or cut, and the letter "R" - - the raven's tail feather is rounded. Crows make the typical "cawcaw" sound, whereas the raven has what's described as a croaking "cr-r-ruck" sound and that strange metallic knocking sound called a "tok" or "kloo-klok." Flowever, crows are said to be able to express themselves in at least 24 different calls, and ravens can express themselves in up to 64 different sounds. According to ornithologists who spend time listening and attempting to interpret these many sounds, the crows and ravens have sounds for courting, assembling, scolding, threatening, dispersing, recruiting, help calls, etc. They are said to be masters of mimicry, being able to mimic barking dogs, flowing creeks, groaning tree hunks, and even human speech. I've personally never heard such a broad array of corvid sounds, but I certainly have renewed interest and appreciation in these birds. The Audubon bird book describes the feeding habits of the

E R Elementary's Successful Walk to School Day Photos by Alma Santos An estimated 400 students participated in Eagle Rock Elementary's Walk to School Day LA on Wednesday. As an enthusiastic supporter of active forms of transportation, Councilmember Huizar congratulates ER Elementary on a successful event! Walk to School Day is a yearly national event that happens at thousands of schools. Students, parents, school personnel and other community members experience the walk to school as they walk together on the day of the event. The event seeks to generate wider teachings about the importance ofphysical activity, awareness of the fun of walking, and early identification of safety concerns. It's not too late to participate -your school can arrange its own Walk To School Day.

crow as "an opportunist m its feeding. It will consume a great variety of plant and animals food, such as seeds, garbage, insects, mice. In orchards, it destroys many injurious insects. Its nest plundering is decried. Flowever, the labeling of birds as either 'harmful' or 'useful' is misleading. Crows do destroy many eggs and nestlings of woodland and meadow birds, but they also weed out the weak and feeble and they alert the animals of a neighborhood when danger approaches." The crows and ravens are thus very "territorial," perhaps because

they have learned that survival dictates that only so many species can inhabit an area. They are also survivors who eat just about anything, including chicks, frogs, sparrows, fish, carrion (dead animals, like road kill), rotten vegetables, grain, human refuse, even animal feces. This is the why "eating crow" has long been considered so undesirable. Ornithologists agree that the corvids are the "bullies" or "mean guys" of the bird kingdom. They are arguably more curious, daring, and intelligent that any other birds. It's no wonder that so many

myths and legends have arisen from the habits of the crows and ravens. These survivors can use tools, can nearly always get food, and can mimic man. Aside from being called Sorcerers, the Tlingits of Alaska call Raven the Life Creator, and the Navajo call him Trickster. Clearly, the crows and ravens deserve our respect and study, not just our scorn. Though you probably won't learn much about crows and ravens from "The Crow: City of Angels," it might stimulate your thinking along these lines, as it did ours.

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your (Bet Is (Bart Of *1 fie (family (Bool This garden may be beautiful to you, but it can be deadly to your pet. When buying a home, the needs of your pet should be taken into account too. Check with your veterinarian about the dangers that surround your new home.

Over 34,000 people have chosen Eagle Why Eagle Rock?

Rock to be their home. Originally inhabited by the Tongva Indians, Eagle Rock grew to be its own city, and then merged with the City of Los Angeles in the 1920’s. Over the years many famous people have called Eagle Rock

home. Why not you too?

Award winning schools Named second hottest neighborhood in the USA by Redfin in January 2014 Small town feel within a

big city.

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