A pair of common ravens raised a family of five youngsters in an ornate opening on the front of the iconic Cathedral of St. John the Divine in uptown Manhattan. I followed their progress.
Courting and Mating
On a cold day in February, the ravens admired each other atop a building across Amsterdam Avenue from the Cathedral. Soon, they were mating in full view of passersby on the sidewalk below.
The ravens quickly moved into the nest they had established in previous years on the front of the Cathedral. That decorative opening is called a “sixfoil.”
The male raven flew in and out, feeding the female, who was soon sitting on eggs.
Nesting
Soon, Mama and Papa Raven were feeding a family that grew to five youngsters. The parents took turns flying in and out with food, sometimes picking up scraps that tourists had dropped on the steps of the Cathedral.
Youngsters leave the nest
By May, the raven youngsters were ready to leave the nest. The first to leave simply dropped down on to the Cathedral steps. It hopped around and tried awkwardly to fly up on to columns of the Cathedral.
Within days, all of the youngsters had fledged, and could be seen in nearby trees and on buildings across the street. One approached a fake owl designed to scare away birds from a rooftop, but wasn’t afraid at all!
Raven family flies free
Soon, the five raven youngsters joined their parents in flight above the Cathedral and the Morningside Heights neighborhood. Their silhouettes filled the sky.
The raven youngsters stayed close by to their parents for several months, and neighbors delighted to spot them flying above the streets or perching atop water towers.
