Raven Acrobatics

I captured this raven on the summit of Hawksbill mountain in Shenandoah National Park, in Virginia. We spent the entire afternoon on a autumn day, with winds ranging between 20-40mph, watching a group of fifteen ravens engaged in aerial acrobatics on the thermal winds rising up over the summit of Hawksbill Mountain. The ravens seemed to be extremely happy in the way they spun, dove and chased each other up and down the cliff face. They even clasped claws as they dropped for twenty feet or so before disengaging. I hadn't realized as well that ravens have subtle color variations in their feathers. These birds appeared very intelligent and full of life.
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