I photographed this Common Raven at one of our lunch stops during my recent trip to the Grand Teton/Yellowstone National Parks. We pulled over to have lunch at a roadside picnic area when a couple of Common Ravens decided to pay us a visit and possibly get some of whatever we were eating. This one was quite fearless as it approached us close enough to get some close-up photos. I have photographed Common Ravens from afar before but never this close. My most memorable photograph of them was taken at Big Bend National Park after a hike up the Lost Mine Trail. I posted a photograph titled “Common” last year.
Common Ravens are smart birds, able to put together cause and effect. Ravens are attracted to wolf kills and some have learned to follow wolves while they hunt elk. They begin feeding as soon as wolves tear into a carcass because Ravens are not able to rip open thick skin. Ravens are willing to eat almost anything and are frequently seen near the parking lots around the park searching for food. Some have learned to unzip and unsnap food packs. Remember that it is illegal to feed wildlife in the National Parks.
This image was taken with my Canon EOS 7D Mark II using my Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 II Lens set on 360mm. The camera was set on Aperture Priority mode with the aperture set at f/13, shutter speed at 1/160th of a second and the ISO set at 800. I did not use a tripod for this image. This is a single image processed in Lightroom and Nik Color Efex Pro.
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