Ravenous Ravens in Chesler Park

Artemus said:
We're bogarting Jackson's thread. Maybe we should have Raven thread!
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I'm glad that it's led to the sharing of many experiences and tips! I've learned quite a bit. But I'd also be all for a raven thread.
 
Jackson said:
I'm glad that it's led to the sharing of many experiences and tips! I've learned quite a bit. But I'd also be all for a raven thread.
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I do have to say that I really enjoyed your entire original post on Chessler Park and the tidbit about where the word ravenous came from. Never thought of that. Chessler, The Needles and the route in are very awe inspiring.
 
I had a run in with a murder of those evil black birds once before. My son, a couple friends and I spent the night in Coyote Gulch on the sand bar near Jacob Hamblin Arch. Once we dropped our packs and set up camp we headed down river to see Coyote Natural Bridge. All was well until we got back to camp and came face to face with the army of squirrels and ravens attacking our Ziploc food bag. I had it safely stowed in my pack but not in my tent. They managed to get into all of our packs and what the squirrels didn't get the ravens did. Needless to say it was a interesting dinner. It gets worse, it didn't hit me until I was just about back to my car when I thought to myself what pocket did I stash my keys in. Then the panic set in. Yep, you guessed it I had stuffed them into the food bag as I was loading it in my pack. They had stolen my keys and left me stranded in the desert. Well not completely stranded the only thing that saved us is the fact that my buddy's and I had driven separate cars. It cost me a day of hiking and a few hundred bucks for a new ignition switch. Oh, and the closest key switch I could find was in Beaver. I can't wait for my wife to read all of the previous comments in this thread. To this day she thinks I just lost them and cooked up this hair brain story to cover my shame...

Great trip report. This area has been on my to do list for years. Thanks for sharing...
 
Wyatt Carson said:
I do have to say that I really enjoyed your entire original post on Chessler Park and the tidbit about where the word ravenous came from. Never thought of that. Chessler, The Needles and the route in are very awe inspiring.
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Thanks! The route in was very impressive in the snow. I love the desert in winter.

I looked up the etymology of "raven" recently and it seems that words beginning with "rav" are all descended from the same word.

From Google: late 15th century (in the sense ‘take as spoil’): from Old French raviner, originally ‘to ravage,’ based on Latin rapina ‘pillage.’

They certainly excel at 'taking things as spoil'.
 
Tater Head said:
I had a run in with a murder of those evil black birds once before. My son, a couple friends and I spent the night in Coyote Gulch on the sand bar near Jacob Hamblin Arch. Once we dropped our packs and set up camp we headed down river to see Coyote Natural Bridge. All was well until we got back to camp and came face to face with the army of squirrels and ravens attacking our Ziploc food bag. I had it safely stowed in my pack but not in my tent. They managed to get into all of our packs and what the squirrels didn't get the ravens did. Needless to say it was a interesting dinner. It gets worse, it didn't hit me until I was just about back to my car when I thought to myself what pocket did I stash my keys in. Then the panic set in. Yep, you guessed it I had stuffed them into the food bag as I was loading it in my pack. They had stolen my keys and left me stranded in the desert. Well not completely stranded the only thing that saved us is the fact that my buddy's and I had driven separate cars. It cost me a day of hiking and a few hundred bucks for a new ignition switch. Oh, and the closest key switch I could find was in Beaver. I can't wait for my wife to read all of the previous comments in this thread. To this day she thinks I just lost them and cooked up this hair brain story to cover my shame...

Great trip report. This area has been on my to do list for years. Thanks for sharing...
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Holy crap!! Your keys?? And that's way out there. I couldn't help but laugh as I envisioned the huge animal party going on at your camp site, but wow. Lessons learned. In a much harder way than mine.

Big thanks to everyone for all these stories.
 
And they are always looking at you. Studying. One of the largest vocabularies we know of in the animal kingdom. Saying to each other "their speech is so limited, these Homo not-so-sapiens"...
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To this point I've never had trouble with them getting my food - but maybe I've just been lucky. When they've been around I've made sure to hang my food. I use a normal silicone stuff sack. Maybe they have trouble getting through the fabric. I haven't seen them try to get into a hung sack and maybe I'm the benefactor of previous failed attempts on someone else's hung food bag and they just don't think its worth the trouble. But then again, maybe I've just been lucky.

Nice pictures. The snow really adds something. I think that overlook near your camp is one of my favorite spots in the Needles. Really love that view.
 
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I so appreciate this report @Jackson ! Thank you for sharing the 'Raven food lesson', that would have been us in a few months.
Since our first hike into the Needles I knew we have to come back and camp there. I love Chesler Park and I know exactly where you set up your tent. We took loads of pictures right at that spot, yet none of them really fully captured what an exceptional place it is. The second time we went, it was very early in the morning, we were all alone and it was just a morning I will never forget- stunning spot, just love it there. Last time I camped was about 2 decades ago on a tiny island between Egypt and Saudi Arabia in the middle of the Red Sea. Diving was topnotch with Hammerheads, Oceanic whitetips, Mantas, soft coral, etc.... And I did a load of dive tent trips in the desert along the Red Sea shore- I just haven't been in a tent since. :facepalm:
Fast forward to now: between seeing Chesler Park and all the reports on this awesome BCP site, I know the Red Sea tent experience wont be my last night in a tent.

Before reaching Chesler park, Rick set up his camera for some multi shot panoramas and 360 sphere pictures and a Raven was hovering next to us the entire time. Figured it was about food, but I never knew they are so clever. Thanks for the heads up.
Here is your bagel stealing buddy (in the open area down below Chelsler park):
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The Raven is even in a test / set-up camera shot..... eyeing my backpack hidden behind the rock.
Setting up for 360 sphere-PB151996.jpg
 
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I watched a pair of ravens break into a pickup at the Hells Revenge parking lot one fine day. The pickup had an empty ORV trailer, so the birds knew they were safe for awhile.

The rascals picked at the rubber seal around the pickup's back window until they were able to reach in with their beaks and pull the sides of the window open. (I assume it wasn't locked, but who knows?) They then proceeded to enter and nab a sack of something - couldn't see what it was - and fly away. Whatever it was, I'm sure they had cased the place previous to all that hard work to make sure it was worthwhile.

And why didn't I stop them? Easy - I like to see the wildlife win (unless it's my stuff).

And Jackson's beautiful photos make me remember how much I love the canyon country in the winter.
 
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