Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Raven

I saw a Raven today flying not too high in the sky, Corvus corax. What a beautiful bird. He was a feathery black man and, as a furry black man, I felt a natural affinity.

I knew he was Raven because of the fluid beat of his wings and the articulation of the “finger” feathers, his primaries. Oom was with me and we felt he had a profile reminiscent of a Goshawk…flap, flap, flap, glide. Not like a crow…crows row their wings when they fly. But those finger feathers…I was really impressed. Like synchronized cat tails they were…smooth and strong.

And speaking of tails, his was splayed out when we saw him, like a buteo.

Big bird; big black bird.