I see I didn't reply to Ebbie -

Ebbie, I really like the ravens here in Northern California, but the ravens in Alaska are about the most entertaining birds I have ever seen - and the sounds they make are so interesting. They seem to be at their best in winter, when the tourists aren't there to see them.

I also find buzzards really interesting. Several years ago, I drove the ten-mile tour road in Big Cypress National Preserve, next to Everglades National Park. It was one of the most treacherous and most beautiful drives I have ever taken - a one-lane muddy road, with a very long walk back if I got stuck. I got to a swampy spot and saw maybe two dozen buzzards at the side of the road. All but two flew up into the trees when they saw me. Then I saw what made them gather - they were feasting on the carcass of an alligator. When buzzards gather like that, they seem to be having a party. It's a very sociable affair for them. I saw a gathering of buzzards like that alongside our road in the Sierra foothills this summer, but I didn't see any carrion around. I wonder what made them gather. And of course, watching buzzards fly is amazing.

And then there's ospreys - they seem to be very aware when there are humans around, and then they seem to put on a show.

-Joe-