Maggie's Farm

For about 25 years now I have been visiting national parks twice a year, spring and fall, for a week at a time. A week in Grand Canyon, a week in Zion, a week in Moab and a week in Capitol Reef. Each park has its own wildlife but Grand Canyon has the best raven population. I usually hike early in the day and the rest of the day relax in the campground. The ravens are quite active and even though there is a flock (conspiracy, congress, unkindness) of them they will explore the campground for food as individuals. If they find food they will call their fellow ravens and wreck havoc on the campsite. They will also call if they see a dog or other animal or even humans out and about. While I don't pretend to speak raven you can hear the subtle differences in their calls for food or foe. And it's not just their language, if you watch their actions it is obvious that they are intelligent and adaptable. I have rescued many a meal or trash bag from them and they even have a call for the human interloper that I am to them.

Not to be showed up the wild turkeys in Zion show a similar intelligence and communication. In Arches and Canyonland it is the ground squirrel more than the raven that is the camp pest. Not nearly as communicative or intelligent as ravens.

I had a neighbor who was a biologist/ornithologist for the U.S. government. He boasted he could mimic the call of over 200 different bird species. Although he acknowledged certain physical difference between crows and ravens he said that for the most part they consider all sightings outside of farm areas and above 4000 feet to be ravens while sightings below 4000 feet or near farms are crows.

My favorite bird is the quail. I have watched a lot of quail. One time I was watching a covey of quail made up of three adults and 24 newly hatched. Anytime one of the adults signaled, probably vocal but there have been times when there did not seem to be a sound, every quail in the covey stopped all movement for 10 or more seconds. Even the newly hatched, which implies this was an evolved trait rather than intelligence. But never the less the quails actions, typically the male who stands guard, did show intelligence.

My favorite animal in the parks are the elk and the bighorn. I don't consider the elk to be particularly smart while the bighorn seems smarter but I think perhaps just more fearful and careful. Coyotes are awesome to see and hear, especially if they have young. The javelina are great to see but they are dangerous. Interestingly, "wild" horses are especially beautiful to see in the forest or desert. Bear are great to see but not while out hiking alone. Buffalo are awesome but not in the early Spring when they block the roads too much. Then there are the bobcats, lynx and cougar. I have seen all three in these parks but far more ofter I have seen their tracks.