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S. D. A Forestry Service, General D.C. Technical Report, RM-142. PecJt,G. K and R D. James. 1983. The James, RD. 1977. First nesting of the Great breeding birds of : nidiology and Gray Owl in Ontario. Ontario Field distribution. Volume 1: nonpasserines. Biologist 31:55-56. Life Sciences Misc. Publications, Royal Lehmall, P. 1984. The changing seasons. The Ontario Museum, . winter of 1983-1984- "The Siberian Weir,RD. 1984a. The autumn migration. Express". American Birds 38:287-292. Ontario region. American Birds Nero, R W.1980. The Great Gray Owl, ~8:195-199. phantom of the northern forest. Weir,RD. 1984b. The winter season. Ontario Smithsonian Institute Press, Washington, region. American Birds ~8:~10-~14. Observations of COllllllon Raven in

by Beth] efferson

On 22 April 1986, between 0900h in its feet,_ to a Norway Maple (Acer and 0935h in Prince of Wales Park, platarwides) about 40m away. Here it , Metropolitan Toronto continued plucking the pigeon, (43°36'N, 79°30'W), I saw a holding it firmly in its claws, while I Common Raven (Corvus CClrax)fly was able to watch the procedure in a seize a Rock Dove (Columba from a distance of 10m beneath the livia) with its feet, take it to the tree. I left to get a camera before ground, and proceed to pluck it. the incident concluded. When I The prey moved for about 30 returned 10 minutes later, the seconds, but the only distress calls raven was, unfortunately, gone, as that I heard were from nearby was the Rock Dove, except for its American Robins (Turdus gizzards, feet, feathers, and breast migratorius) , House Sparrows bone, which remained on the (Passer domesticus) , and European ground underneath the tree. Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris). Prince of Wales Park is an urban While I watched the scene from park located on the shore of Lake a distance of 15m, my dog was able Ontario in west Toronto. Twenty to cautiously stalk the birds, minutes prior to this attack I had approaching to within 2m before observed a raven fly in to an area the raven flew off, carrying its prey between the houses on the

Beth]efferson, 41 Lake Shore Drive, Apartment 404, , Ontario M8V 1Z3

VOLUME 7 NUMBER 1 16

northwest side of the park. I did not this duration. observe where the raven perched During the winter of 1986-1987 or the condition of the Rock Dove a raven was again frequently seen or its position when it was seized. along the western Toronto A few days later, on 28 April, . lakeshore - an area which has Mike DeLorey and Derek Spindlow many similarities to the raven's (pers. comm.) saw a raven fly this normal habitat farther north ­ same route that I had originally numerous spruce trees, open observed, but it was not in pursuit stretches of tundra-like landfill sites, of anything at this time. and a large body of water. Several Catching large birds like a Rock incidents are worth relating as they Dove appears to be unusual indicate how the raven could be behaviour for a raven. Bent (1946) surviving outside of its usual range. men tions one incident where a A raven was seen by Don raven invaded a chicken coop to McClement (pers. comm.) on 20 kill a sickly hen. Ravens are November 1986 perched above a normally scavengers but will Rock Dove roost at Eighth Street regularly attack young nestling and Lakeshore Boulevard West. shorebirds on the tundra or "sick or The raven singled out one Rock injured individuals ofa species it Dove and swooped after it, which does not otherwise interfere with" the other Rock Doves "looked on in (Goodwin 1976). alarm". M. DeLorey and I watched Ravens generally inhabit wilder, a raven in active pursuit of another mountainous country and sea Rock Dove, chasing its quarry coasts in both Arctic and forested quickly in and around city buildings regions of (Godfrey 1986). at Lakeshore Bou'levard West and Although its breeding range in Thirtieth Street on 27 January Ontario has recently expanded 1987. It often approached to within south of Algonquin-Haliburton and 30cm of its.prey but was not the Bruce Peninsula (Blomme observed to catch anything at this 1987), the raven is of rare time. A raven was observed again at occurrence in the southern parts of Eighth Street and Lakeshore the province. One raven has been Boulevard West by Russ Musgrove reported regularly in Etobicoke for (pers. comm.) on 15 February 1987 the past five win ters (Figure 1). "harassing the pigeons". During the winter ofl985-1986 As I watched a raven fly over a there were at least eight individual roost of Rock Doves on 1 February sightings of a raven along the 1987, I noticed that this was enough waterfront and it is possible that to put the flock to flight, scattering these all refer to the same bird, as them. It has been my experience there is no previous history of that American Crows (Corvus repeated occurrences of ravens in brachyrhynchos) do not seem to southern Ontario over a period of create this response.

ONTARIO BIRDS APRIL 1989 17

Figure 1: Common Raven, Etobicoke, Metropolitan Toronto, 21 March 1987. Photo by T. Sabo.

Minutes prior to this I had getting close enough to practically watched the same raven sparring land on its back. The raven escaped with the lead bird in a flock of by flying inland. Canada Geese (Branta canadensis), On 25 April 1987 Bruce clashing their large bills over one of Wilkinson observed a raven several pieces of bread that the carrying branches to a nest it was raven had swooped in to snatch off constructing on the grounds of the the ground on which the geese had old Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital, been feeding. The rest of the flock a place where a raven has been was obviously alarmed, too: with frequently sighted. Two nests were necks outstretched, they all rushed subsequently discovered, O.6m over, ready to attack, but the raven apart, under the centre eaves of departed. one of the four-storey-high Close to the lake, Herring Gulls "cottages" (Figures 2 and 3). The (Larus argentatus) were then nest on the left (Figure 2) was observed chasing this raven. A flock approximately 40cm in diameter of 10 gulls pursued it in and and 30cm deep, made of old around apartment buildings and leafless branches. The one on the houses for five minutes, often right (Figure 3) was smaller at that

VOLUME 7 NUMBER 1 18

time, but it was the one on which By mid-May the nests had been the raven was working, carrying in completed, but the raven had 40-50cm long green branches disappeared from the area. A about 2cm in diameter. D. second bird was never seen and, Peuramake and D. McClement presumably, this raven is not mated. (pers. comm.) have seen the raven The fall and winter of 1987-1988 breaking off large branches from again produced numerous sightings the trees on the property from early of a raven along the Etobicoke March to late April. waterfront. On one occasion (30 By the first week of May 1987, I November 1987) I saw it doing observed that the nest on the right cartwheels in the wind above the had become as large as the one on apartment buildings at Lake the left. Rock Doves were always Promenade and 34th Street. seen on the roof of this building No observations have been and many feathers of dead birds made of this bird in the summer. remained on the ground. Starlings However, there are a few sightings also perched on the nests when the that have been made in spring, the raven was,not present. latest being 4June 1986, by the

Figure 2: Common Raven nest under the eaves of Cottage 5, former Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital, Etobicoke, Metropolitan Toronto, 28 April 1987. Photo by BethJefferson.

ONTARIO BIRDS APRIL 1989 19 author. On 12 May 1988 several the raven tried to shake off the observers saw the raven being crow. During the last two weeks of chased by small "blackbirds" at September 1988 the typical bell-like' Park West, at which note of a raven was heard twice in time it looked quite huge and the West Humber Ravine, "ratty". approximately 16km north of the A raven appeared at lake at Islington Avenue and Albion Burnhamthorpe Avenue and Dixie Road U.O'Donnell and R. Scovell, Road on 12 September 1988, being pers. comm.). Almost daily harassed by a crow (Cora McEvoy, sightings of a raven have been pers. comm.). The next morning made at the Lakeshore Psychiatric the identical behaviour was Hospital during October and observed by C. McEvoy and the November 1988 (D. McClement, author 6km south of this location. pers. comm.). A crow was preventing the raven Metropolitan Toron to is only from land,ng in a tree at Marie 125km south of the usual breeding Curtis Park West by its continual range of ravens and therefore it is harassment. With its feet dangling, not inconceivable that a wild bird

Figure 3: Common Raven nest under the eaves of Cottage 5, former Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital, Etobicoke, Metropolitan Toronto, 28 April 1987. Photo by BethJefferson.

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has established residency in the Acknowledgemen ts region. Corvids, however, are often I gratefully appreciate the advice of kept in captivity. It is interesting to Dr. Jim Rising, Clive E. Goodwin, speculate whether this is an escaped and Glenn Coady for reviewing this bird, as some have suggested, or report and providing several whether this is a wild raven that has helpful commen ts. used adaptive behaviour to live successfully as both a predator and Literature cited a scavenger in an unlikely Bent, A. c. 1916. Life Histories of North environment. The general American Jays, Crows and Tiunice, Part 1. United States National Museum Bulletin consensus of opinion of all the 191. Washington, D. C. observers of this "Etobicoke" raven Blomme, C. 1987. Common Raven. pp. is that its general attitude, its 290-291. In M. D. Cadman, P. F.J Eagles, and F. M. Helleincr (cds.). Atlas of the caution, timidity, nesting, and Breeding Birds of Ontario. University of hunting behaviour indicate that it is Waterloo Press, Waterloo. a wild bird, not an escapee. Godfrey,W.E. 1986. The Birds of Canada. Furthermore, is the bird's apparent Revised edition. National Museums of Canada, Ottawa. disappearance in the summer due Goodwin, D. 1976. Crows of the World. Cornell to a lack of birders making University Press, Ithaca, New York. . observations or indicative of migration or nesting behaviour? Frequency of Winter Bird Occurrence at an Urban Conservation Area

by Kenneth W. Dance

Introduction study published by Campbell and A variety of published information Dagg (1976) included data on on winter birds in Ontario is wintering birds on five plots in beginning to accumulate. urban and suburban plots. Smith Freedman and Riley (1980) et aL (1982) described winter bird reviewed changes in wintering communities of urban southern species status during the period Ontario. Dunn (1986) reported the 1929-1977. The bird population results of a seven-year bird feeder

Kenneth W. Dance, Ecologistics Limited, 490 Dutton Drive, Suite AI, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 61-17

ONTARIO BIRDS APRIL 1989