British Columbian giant raven

[psyche101]

Strange as it may sound, but I have been thinking of a mis-identification of an introduced alien species that is not a corvid at all...

The bird I was thinking of is the socalled "Johnny Rook" from the Falkland Islands and Tierra del Fuego. It behaves like described in the first post, the juveniles have a reddish color/glow, they only have hooked beaks. The rest of their behaviour is very much like that of a gang of ravens (or an "unkindness of ravens", lol).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Striated_Caracara

http://ibc.lynxeds.com/video/striated-caracara-phalcoboenus-australis/immatures-pecking-feet-leopard-seal

But are they bigger than golden eagles??

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It sounds like an excellent possibility. They sure look the part.

Could simple parallax error and distance account for size?

I take it you are fond of our downunder Corvid the Currawong as well? Very intelligent birds as well.

[Abramelin]

Yes sir, I love currawongs, but they are not corvids.

They sure look and behave very similar, though.

Did you know corvids originated in Australia (or better: Austranesia), many millions of years ago? From there they spread out over the entire planet.

[vitruvian12]

Loggers and "bush mechanics" dont just go into areas that look good to them and start logging. The cut blocks are first surveyed by professional foresters and others to weigh the environmental impact of logging the area. If the birds were such an obvious oddity and aggresive then you would think they would have made themselves known to these people who would recognize their unique nature.

Why try to explain a story that doesnt even have any source that is reliably identified?

[Conrad Clough]

I have never heard of them before. I might be more inclined to believe it if the ravens lived on an isolated island rather than in a valley.

Valleys, unlike islands, are rarely (if ever) isolated enough from the surrounding countryside that natural predators can not get there, and British Columbia has plenty of natural wolves and cougars, I don't see how introduced domestic dogs and cats (not to mention that few domestic cats would take on anything the size of an eagle) would do anything, should they exist... while introduced animals can cause a lot of problems, generally it is caused when predatory animals are introduced to areas with no natural predators or where a new animal that is better at using the same ecological niche is introduced.

[Abramelin]

Loggers and "bush mechanics" dont just go into areas that look good to them and start logging. The cut blocks are first surveyed by professional foresters and others to weigh the environmental impact of logging the area. If the birds were such an obvious oddity and aggresive then you would think they would have made themselves known to these people who would recognize their unique nature.

Why try to explain a story that doesnt even have any source that is reliably identified?

I had hopes for someone from BC telling me about that source.

And by trying to explain the story, we could maybe find out about who sprread this 'news' first.

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Edited April 11, 2012 by Abramelin

[Abramelin]

I have never heard of them before. I might be more inclined to believe it if the ravens lived on an isolated island rather than in a valley.

Valleys, unlike islands, are rarely (if ever) isolated enough from the surrounding countryside that natural predators can not get there, and British Columbia has plenty of natural wolves and cougars, I don't see how introduced domestic dogs and cats (not to mention that few domestic cats would take on anything the size of an eagle) would do anything, should they exist... while introduced animals can cause a lot of problems, generally it is caused when predatory animals are introduced to areas with no natural predators or where a new animal that is better at using the same ecological niche is introduced.

That was my idea too: an island, or even a valley in some island.

But this is part of the quote: "Interior of B.C. NA". That would be the mainland, right?

[Conrad Clough]

That was my idea too: an island, or even a valley in some island.

But this is part of the quote: "Interior of B.C. NA". That would be the mainland, right?

Indeed that would be my understanding of it as well, which is one reason that I am very skeptical.

[Abramelin]

Not saying everyone believes this, but I do not get why there is even a hint that it " might " exist?.......Seems in the Paranormal world, more than anywhere else, people do not learn from mistakes, or from history.......Just the same hoax's / stories changed a tiny bit, and used again and again........No originality.

Fool me once shame on you...........

What is Sylvanic? What we know for certain is Sylvanic is a hidden valley nestled deep within the North American Rocky Mountains. Sylvanic (as the natives now refer to it) is the name of the canyon pass that leads to an enormous valley, which is encircled entirely by an unbroken chain of mountains. This valley has remained virtually untouched by modern man. Within its boundaries pictures of wild free roaming bison have been taken and stories are beginning to surface of new species of animals that where either thought to be extinct or never conclusively proven to exist by modern science. Men have mysteriously disappeared and others claim to have been rescued by an illusive species the natives have revered and worshiped for a hundred generations they call the shadow guardians of the mountains.

I remember I first hit upon that cryptid site in 2004, but I never found any other site or whatever that even mentions these 'giant, nearly flightless ravens'. That is already kind of weird in itself, because the internet is buzzing with reports of unindentified flying beasties, lol. I think that if you google that whole quote as it is, you will only find one other site that talks about it.... and that's my blog about corvids (and now UM too, of course).

==

Sylvanic.. I remember having read about that on UM, many years ago. Did it appear to be just another hoax?

[glorybebe]

Indeed that would be my understanding of it as well, which is one reason that I am very skeptical.

I live in the interior, there is no valley that has giant ravens. I saw a large one today and it was the size of a chicken, which is on the larger scale.

[HollyDolly]

We lived in Alaska from 1966 to 1970. Maybe these are Artic crows. I seem to recall seeing them around Anchorage, as my dad was stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base.They were quite large. Unless they were ravens. Had to say on the animals posted.There is a lot of territory in Canda with few people, so hard to say if they are real or not.

[Sakari]

I remember I first hit upon that cryptid site in 2004, but I never found any other site or whatever that even mentions these 'giant, nearly flightless ravens'. That is already kind of weird in itself, because the internet is buzzing with reports of unindentified flying beasties, lol. I think that if you google that whole quote as it is, you will only find one other site that talks about it.... and that's my blog about corvids (and now UM too, of course).

==

Sylvanic.. I remember having read about that on UM, many years ago. Did it appear to be just another hoax?

Sylvanic may be a site, but it is originally a place, in BC, with animals never seen before......

Yes, Sylvanic is a hoax.....A lost valley in Canada....." undisclosed area " .

That is why I said fool me once......

Same style story, a lost place with lost animals..........Same old thing.

[PersonFromPorlock]

So far as hidden valleys go, Google Panoramio shows few holes in its coverage of the Canadian Rockies. It'd have to be an awfully small valley.

[Gatofeo]

Ive lived in the bc interior most of my life. Im in a small town called 100 Mile House. Its entirely forestry and mill driven. Although Im not involved in the logging industry friends and family have been and are. Ive never heard of any story like that.

I have worked in logging camps before and though some are quite deluxe they can get boring. It sounds more like a case of people trying to one up each other while relating their day. Everyone always wants to be the one who saw the biggest deer or moose for example, I can see that extending to crows and ravens too. As far as a valley rich in timber goes, if the mechanics of your story were there then the loggers were there too. Which means it wouldnt be rich in timber for long.

100 Mile House! Been through there many times in the past 41 years I've been going to my cabin, on a lake 200 miles west of Williams Lake.

I've seen some big ravens in the Chilcotin interior, near Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, but never as big as golden eagles.

I agree with you, that it sounds like a "whopper" told over coffee or around a campfire.

In the early 1970s, a bunch of old-timers told a string of whoppers to a "Bigfoot researcher" who visited Nimpo Lake and Anaheim Lake, in central B.C. My father and I overheard the old-timers in the Nimpo Lake cafe laughing about it after the "researcher" left. The "researcher" bought these guys lunch or dinner if they had a good tale, so they cooked up some good whoppers.

TO THIS DAY, if you look at a map of Bigfoot activity in British Columbia, you'll see all kinds of "sightings" around Anaheim Lake and Nimpo Lake! It all stems from some old-timers getting a free meal, bored, and pranking a Bigfooter.

I've been going to my cabin since 1971. I've asked locals, but none have ever seen or heard of Bigfoot sightings, beyond the old prank.

I'll be up there in July. I'll have to ask around about giant ravens -- and undoubtedly get the same headshake I get when I ask about Bigfoot.