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While they have always been common in the mountains, and beyond the urban and suburbanized areas, prior to maybe 2004, when one or two Ravens started showing up in Seward Park, in my decades of observation, I never knew of any Ravens showing up within the urban and suburban Seattle area. I imagine that some combination of the Ravens having suitable habitat destroyed by expanding suburbanization and maybe an expanding montane population of Ravens with nowhere else to go, has had Ravens finding small islands of relatively suitable habitat, such as 2 of our wildest parks, Lincoln Park and Seward Park and using them. So far the Ravens have only been visiting Lincoln Park and West Seattle for a period from later winter to early spring, but maybe they will nest here some day. Ravens can be clearly distinguished from crows by: their much larger size – think more like a Red-tailed Hawk size than a crow. If crows are harassing the Ravens it is very clear that the Raven is much bigger; their wedge shaped tails, with the middle feathers clearly the longest, vs, the squared tails of crows; and their much larger beaks; the throat feathers that often stick out; and their call that is more like a croaking “crrruck” than a “caw”.
voice:
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_raven/sounds/ac
