Gargoyles by the sea

 

 

In 1945, Tyrrell wrote "The young, when hatched or only a day or two old, are not things of joy and beauty.  In fact, they reminded us of grotesque gargoyles."  I suppose it's true that raven nestlings are not quite as regal as their parents — it takes a few weeks until they're fully feathered.  But look at that mouth!  I was impressed with both the width and the color.  Even without an adult nearby, these chicks were reaching around with their bills wide open, waiting for a delivery of food.

I'm guessing these raven nestlings are about 2 weeks old.  (They'll leave the nest after 5-7 weeks.)  They were photographed on Bodega Head on 25 June 2015.  I was far away from this nest, but cropped the picture later to view the number and condition of the nestlings.  How many can you find?