Animal Behavior

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Animal behavior in Ravenna Park is interesting to observe. Given that the park is nestled in a large urbanized area, there isn’t much variation in the animals that call these woods home. However, that’s not to discount the interesting interactions you can observe in these animals.

Take a moment to consider the Douglas Squirrels that call the high limbs of the big leaf maples, red cedars and red osier dogwoods home.  There is a tight knit group of these furry fiends located in the park. If you look into the treetops you will often see them chasing one another, and making daring dives from one tree to the other. Studies have indicated that the squirrels actually aid in spreading the spores of beneficial lichen and other fungi between trees. Feeding on the abundant vegetation (and the occasional snack found in the nearby neighborhoods) these squirrels have made quite the home for themselves.

Douglas Squirrel getting ready for a tree jump, Courtesy Asknature.org

Also found in the trees are the various birds of Ravenna. These birds are some of the key facilitators in seed and spore spreading for the plants of the park. By eating and then digesting these seeds across the park, they help plants take root where the wind or other natural processes couldn’t deposit them.

Another behavior to monitor with the birds in this area is how they interact with one another. One particular interaction to look out for is those that occur between one of the most unique birds in the park, the Barred Owl, and the most common, the American Crow. Crows will often engage it what is known as “mobbing” when they locate an owl. This is a natural group response when a murder of crows finds an owl, as the owl is a natural predator of crows. Be on the look out for crows spotting one of the two Barred Owls in the park and how quickly crows gather to harass it away.

If you venture into the park at night you may also see the activities of the parks more nocturnal creatures. Raccoons often run from the park to the surrounding neighborhoods at night and you may catch them as they begin their search for an easy, dumpster dinner. The same can be said for the activities of the parks only known marsupial, the Possum.  This nightly foray into the surrounding neighborhoods for food is an example of urbanization and adaptation by these animals. Why search for food that is scarce and hard to catch when a free meal is only an open trashcan away? Be careful around these animals, as startling them could illicit a violent response, and please, no feeding! There is no need to perpetuate their unnatural interactions with humans. 

Be wary of this guy playing "Possum" on you! Courtesy, nps.gov

Don't forget to check the trees for these guys! Courtesy, ulocal.kcra.com