Raven with pebble - to what end?

["John Leonard" <>]

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