birding-aus

Raven with pebble - to what end?

To: Birding-aus <>
Subject: Raven with pebble - to what end?
From: "John Leonard" <>
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 10:30:32 +1100
We live in Canberra, about 1 km from a golf course, and whenever I clean out the gutters (about once a year) I invariably come up with two or three golf balls.
 
I have never seen a Raven carrying a golf ball near our house, but they do like the big tree in our yard, so I imagine they take them from the golf course, thinking they are egss, return to their territory and try to break them on the roof. Or it might be Currawongs....
 
I once saw a Raven flying near another Canberra golf-course with a fluorescent orange golf-ball in its beak!
 
John Leonard
 
On 3/16/06, Kurtis Lindsay <> wrote:
Tom,
 
I have witnessed simillar behaviour.
One day I was at my Grandfathers place in Thornleigh,Sydney where there is some resident Ravens which nest in a large Blue Gum in his yard most years.
 
One day I heard a loud banging noise on the roof, and when I looked up I saw a raven with a very shiny white stone, the size of a small egg.
The bird would pick it up and drop it then fly up and drop it.
 
Later I went up onto the roof of the house and found a myriad of shiny round stones and many smashed roof tiles.
Interesting behavour.
 
Kurtis
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