Tweede broedgeval van Raaf Corvus corax in Drenthe

After the Common Raven bred successfully in Drenthe in 2003, presumably the same pair (based on behavioural traits) nested again in 2004. It built a new nest in a Scots pine Pinus sylvestris at a height of 16.5 m, some 825 m away from the 2003-nest. Despite the proximity of well-trodden paths (within 20 m of the nest) the pair behaved relaxed in the presence of man, except when the author was spotted. Even when several km away, the male started alarm-calling and sometimes accompanied the author for hours on end, up to 5.5 km away from the nest. Similar behaviour was directed at another birdwatcher who also mapped breeding birds (white map in hand, possibly easily spotted while soaring, and associated with nest disturbances). The pair raised three fledglings, starting egg-laying on 4 March (back-calculated from wing lengths). Nestlings were in good condition (Table 1), and one or both pair members were almost always present at the nest during my nest checks (indicating that food provisioning was not difficult). Fledging occurred about 18 May; the chicks stayed in the vicinity of the nest through 22 May, then were not seen again until 18 June (some 7.5 km north of the nest). A pairwith one or more chicks was frequently spotted till mid-July, covering an area of about 15x15 km (woodland, farmland, heaths). From then on, the whereabouts of the young became a mystery.