Thanks to Scott for yet another important update on the Jefferson 
County nesting ravens. Scott found these birds four years back. It would 
be interesting to know why the Division of Forestry didn't know of this 
nest site before allowing the area to be logged, and, if they did, how 
they justified going ahead with disturbing the area for a few skids of 
skinny logs.
        All observers seemed to agree these birds were skittish, and hence 
extremely unlikely to tolerate logging next to their nest site in a 
strip-mine highwall. There are two major subspecies of ravens in North 
America: the one found in the NE (ours, C.c. principalis) is noticeably 
larger, in wing span and especially bill dimensions, and is not so 
tolerant of humans. The one found in the west, C. c. sinuatus, is a lot 
more tolerant---this is the one notorious for brazenly stealing balls 
from golf courses in California--and is noticeably smaller. In my first 
trip to California, I routinely passed them off as crows, they were so 
small, and seemed so ubiquitous near towns, etc. I have set museum 
specimens of sinuatus beside those of American crow and found no 
noticeable difference in overall length, but principalis is a lot longer.
        Have the Jefferson County nesters abandoned the area? It seems they've 
abandoned the old nest site, otherwise they'd be easy enough to find 
there by this time. Sightings over the past year or more in the area 
have involved ravens seen fairly close by, but thus far there are no 
signs of nesting. There were five nestlings--I and others saw six birds 
overall on one occasion--so the survivors will now presumably be looking 
for nest sites, along with their parents. They should have found one by 
now. If you find one, don't count on it going undisturbed, even if you 
notify ODNR.
Bill Whan
Columbus

Scott Albaugh wrote:
> I wasn’t sure if this information was post-worthy or not at first, but after
> thinking about it I have obviously decided to post it.
> 
> I visited Fernwood State Forest in Jefferson County on Saturday March
> 20thin search of ravens.
> I spent one hour in the area of the Little Round Campground and did not hear
> or see any ravens.  For anyone that does not know, Fernwood State Forest is
> the site of the first confirmed raven nest (someone correct me if I’m wrong,
> please) in Ohio in around 100 years.  There have only been a handful of
> confirmed raven sightings in Ohio between the early 1900’s and January of
> 2006.
> 
> Because I live relatively close to Fernwood and have worked on that block
> for the Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas, I have encountered the ravens quite a few
> times.  It’s likely that I have encountered those particular ravens more
> than anyone else in the state, starting with the initial sighting in January
> of 2006.  My observations and encounters with the Fernwood ravens have on
> every occasion been very brief.  I have never seen the birds twice in the
> same outing; and there have been a few occasions when I didn’t see them at
> all, but just heard a faint distant “croak.”  It has been my experience that
> these birds are very wary and skittish.  I realize that ravens have a quite
> different reputation, as they are often encountered in close proximity to
> areas occupied by humans.  I’m not an expert on ravens and can only
> speculate on why these birds are so skittish.
> 
> Last year in March I visited Fernwood to search for ravens.  On that day I
> hiked the forest (the same forest that had hosted a family of ravens the
> year before) for 3 hours and heard only a single “croak.”  I also saw the
> signs and the road that had been built for the logging of the forest.  At
> that time I wondered what impact the logging would have on the ravens.
> 
> The reason that I am posting this on the listserve is that I am occasionally
> contacted by birders for information on strategies for finding ravens in the
> Fernwood area.  Based on my last visit to Fernwood two weeks ago, I’d
> venture to say that the status of the Fernwood ravens is questionable.  Before
> the logging, I would often say with confidence that it was the most reliable
> spot in the state for ravens.  I wouldn’t say that now.  BUT, I also
> wouldn’t say that the Fernwood ravens are gone.  They have proven in the
> past to be somewhat difficult to locate and one hour of searching is not
> enough time to close the curtain on them.  I encourage birders to visit
> Fernwood in search of ravens so that we may discover whether or not the
> logging has impacted their presence in the area and potential nesting.  My
> advice for anyone visiting the area is to come prepared to spend a few hours
> walking the main road and listening. The only way we will know if ravens are
> still in Fernwood is to spend some time looking and listening.  It’s a task
> that is no doubt going to take some effort.
> 
> And by the way…eastern Ohio is a cool place to bird.  If you happen to visit
> during the breeding season feel free to stop by one of the many OBBA2 atlas
> blocks on page 63 in the old Delorme that is lacking in data.  Any help is
> greatly appreciated.  OK, yeah, that last part was a shameless cry for help.
> 
> 
> Scott Albaugh

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