Among the many stories about the intelligence of ravens, and their playfulness is one from Mount Monadnock. As the sun was setting a hiker shared the mountaintop with a gang of ravens taking turns leaping into a strong updraft, tumbling up, then circling around to leap again.
As one point a raven flew by with a white cracker in its bill, prompting a game of chase. The raven wasn't eating the cracker he war flaunting it. The game appeared to be the goal. The park manager confirmed that the ravens were regulars, “eating, playing, guffawing” he said, as the day’s hikers head for home.
Another report comes from winter hikers exploring conservation land in the town of Stoddard. In the sky high above, a group of ravens performed graceful aerobatic dives and rolls for hours as the earthbound hiker trudged along by snowshoe below. Near a stream, tracks in the snow indicated a raven drinking and bathing spot (ravens bathe a lot). Other imprints in the snow looked like the ravens had made snow angels. One or more had slid down the spine of a stone wall on the steep stream bank. What looked like a toboggan run told the story.
See a group of ravens, and most likely they’re juveniles. Not yet paired up. The youngsters cause amusement as they cross paths with human observers.
