I remember when I was sitting down in my house there were these ravens by my dog Snoopy and by Richard Oney's dogs. They were looking for scraps the dogs left and were trying to snatch away the food I gave to Snoopy. They'd back off and watch him eat and then they'd go closer and Snoopy wouldn't bother to scare them away. Then as I watched the birds, they'd fly back, as if by instinct knowing that the dog might charge. Then they'd hop around on the snow and play, spreading their wings out wide.

When they knew there wasn't any food around they'd fly away. Sometimes they would fly far up in the sky, one hitting the other and then flying away as the other would fly after it like they were playing tag, or they would suddenly drop many feet down, stopping before they hit the hard surface of the ground.

What fascinated me was the way they reacted to each other. I noticed that ravens are cautious and that they watch out for predators. They also fly when they hear strange noises nearby. Like today when I was leaving my house one flew 15 feet before I even closed the door. The ravens would also tease the dogs until they'd chase them away, but they would still come back. Sometimes it seems they are talking to each other and they understand. It is strange.

Carmen Pitka