Discussion»Questions»Animals (Wild)» How does one make a raven shut up? There is a raven on my windowsill who keeps saying, "Nevermore!" over and over.
You don't. You befriend him. I now have a pet raven. His name is Crawford. We started out with the same relationship you are having with yours. That was about 10 years ago. I thought of every civil way possible to get the bird to leave my presence. Thank goodness, he refused. I've learned a great deal about them. If he likes you, it is a great honor. Really! They are incredibly intelligent birds. They have a vocabulary that is astonishing. Try talking to him. He may respond in a Quiet sort of manner.
I hope you become friends. I have grown to really trust and appreciate mine.
You're just gonna have to re-educate him. Instead of Nevermore, which is simply not true, you shoiuld teach him to say Same old, same old... but then, I'm a pessimist. :(
Coincidentally, I read The Raven a couple of weeks ago. First time in decades.
It's a gloomy old poem but very compelling. It certainly made him famous. Have you noticed that somebodyu (I think it's CallMeIshmael) uses poe's photograph as an avatar?
I was just joking anyway. I have a number of them that hang out and nest in the cliff behind my spot. They are LOUD birds for sure. Like people said they are very smart. You can get them to shut up and go away for a bit but they will notice the pattern quick and start QUAWing again the moment you turn your back to go inside. Funny thing I've learned about them over the years, as big as they are, they are terrified of seagulls and will go batty when they come around. I suspect they may raid their eggs.
I suspect Merlin's experience is not unique---retrain your bird...
When it comes to intelligence, ravens rate up there with chimpanzees and dolphins; ravens can imitate human speech....
(In captivity, ravens can learn to talk better than some parrots. They also mimic other noises, like car engines, toilets flushing, and animal and birdcalls. Ravens have been known to imitate wolves or foxes to attract them to carcasses that the raven isn’t capable of breaking open. When the wolf is done eating, the raven gets the leftovers.)...
Well I have the guaranteed answer for you...all you need to do is get rid of that "pallid bust of Pallas just above your chamber door"... that's where your raven wants to go, and when Pallas Athene is gone the raven will lose interest...
And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door; And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming...
* * * Oh, and you will no doubt be fascinated to learn it was this poem of Poe where I learned the meaning of ALLITERATION, this line:
"the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain"...
Merlin 