Ah Ravens. One of the most cunning animals on the planet and Yellowknife is home to a whole lot of them. The 2017 Christmas Bird count estimated the number of ravens around Yellowknife to be over 2000 birds. In 1973, the year of the first bird count, there were just 300. There are approximately 20,000 people in the City of Yellowknife so 2000 ravens is like one bird for every ten people – and their numbers are growing.
Ravens are incredibly fun to photograph. Not only are there a lot of them but each of them has their own unique personality. They can often be found getting up to no good downtown, raiding garbage cans, taunting and tormenting dogs and even stealing unattended groceries from the backs of pickup trucks.
My favourite time to photograph ravens is in the winter. Winter provides a fantastic contrast between the white snow and ice and the black blue shine of raven feathers. It is also when ravens are looking their best because they have finished moulting and have a brand new set of feathers for winter.
I have the opportunity to shoot ravens nearly every single day in Yellowknife so expect to see them frequently! Thanks for stopping by today, I hope to see you again next week.