“Ravens Like Shiny Things”.

“Ravens Like Shiny Things”

It has long been known that Crows and Ravens are attracted by shiny things. Once when I was young, I wandered in the woods and came upon a crow's hoard. Scattered in the branches and at the base of a pine tree were hundreds of shiny metallic objects. There were bits of tensile from an old Christmas tree, aluminum foils, Mylar wrapping, jewelry, cans and other glittering objects. 

While researchers cannot document this behavior, world renown Corvid expert John Marzluff has witnessed the behavior. In Seattle, Washington a young girl has made an unlikely group of friends - a group of crows who gather in her garden and regularly bring her gifts. Dr Marzluff found that the local crows were regularly leaving Gabi Mann "offerings". 

some of Gabi's Gifts

Gabi has more than 100 items left by her crow friends

It began when she was a toddler when she would leave bits of food for the birds. Professor Marzluff did a study of crows and the people who feed them. They found that crows and people form a very personal relationship. "There's definitely a two-way communication going on there," Marzluff says. "They understand each other's signals."

The birds communicate by how they fly, how they walk, and where they sit. The human learns their language and the crows learn their feeder's patterns and posture. They start to know and trust each other. Sometimes a crow leaves a gift for no apparent reason.

Canuck with knife

Sometimes it is just mischief. Canuck, a hand-raised crow from Vancouver, Canada, became an internet sensation when he was caught making off with a knife from an active crime scene. Canuck, his mate, and his offspring often get spotted with odd items in their beaks, such as pens, credit cards, etc...

So with my experience and with those accounts from others about this behavior, I thought, how would a crow or raven react to seeing a huge shiny object? Ravens and crows have always been blamed for human misfortunes. In my story, Raven will be blamed for the most famous air disasters.

German Zeppelin Hindenburg 

my fictional explanation of the Hindenburg disaster 

My fictional account of the Hindenburg Disaster:

Thursday, May 6, 1937

As Raven flew east over the New Jersey airfield he noticed a bright glint in the western sky.

The German airship Hindenburg had just completed a transatlantic flight but was running late because it was buffeted by head winds.

Raven was excited as he flew beside the vast shimmering hulk. He landed near the rear by one of the three air fins.

The airship struggles against strong gusts and made a sweeping sharp turn, then settled as the mooring lines were dropped.

Raven looked around and saw nothing but a glistening field of silvery gray. “Surely they won’t miss one small piece” thought Raven. He tore one tattered ribbon of material and flew away, releasing the gases within.

A sudden clap of thunder (an explosion) made Raven believe he had to hastened his flight, he thought he would return for more after it had finished raining.

Raven likes shiny things

"Ravens Like Shiny Things." 
(Raven (bird, crow) Series) Etching 5 x 7 inch 2010, 2023