--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Marek Reavis" <reavisma...@...> wrote: > > Yeah, I was thinking something like that while I was watching the video. it's impossible not to dig being able to fly; and hawks and eagles have it all -- high-end flying ability, extraordinary vision, and an arsenal at their feet. And pelicans are pretty amazing, too. They fly in lines of 5, 6, and 7 around here, modern pteradactyls, low to the water, and each one *looks* like he/she is really thinking about flying. Even though they fly with total grace and pure confidence, it always strikes me that they are totally engaged in the process, too. Lots of considered adjustments to the flight, even as it appears effortless. I don't know how to describe it but they've got lots of presence. > > Ravens and crows are wonderful, too, very high guys. >
This reminded me of a review I saw a while back - a book about nothing else but crows and ravens. It seemed such an "unlikely" subject to me, but the review was fascinating and there was clearly a huge depth in the subject of which I had no idea. So I made a mental note to get the book. But like most of my good intentions, it slipped my mind until I saw you mention those guys here. The book is "In the Company of Crows and Ravens" by JM Marzluff. Have you come across it? "Crows and people share similar traits and social strategies. To a surprising extent, to know the crow is to know ourselves." "Corvid intellect goes beyond tricks and chance. The authors have witnessed a murder of a crow by its fellows. They've also observed "funerals" in which a mob of crows silently surrounds a departed member [not the "murdered" one] for a long period, only to depart without a sound beyond the flutter of wings. Quiet crows are unusual. They also, it has been learned, developed the ability to count. Tests conducted with crows indicate they can count to five. They also "play". According to the authors, crows will slide down snowbanks or another smooth surface much as otters do, and with as little discernible purpose. Perhaps it's indicative that the Norse god Odin had two ravens, Thought and Memory as companions. "
