Anno Corvus Corax

There's been a lot of talk lately of this being the Year of the Dragon in Chinese tradition.  Here in Saskatoon it may be more appropriate to talk about the Year of the Raven.  Normally ravens are seen briefly here as they pass through late in the Fall and early in the Spring.  This Winter however they've hung around in signficant numbers.  Could the unusually warm weather have something to do with this?  Whatever the reason they seem to like it here at the moment.  It will be interesting to see what happens in the Spring when their cousins the crows, and birds like gulls, return.  It would also be interesting to know what effect they're having on the larger birds that do hang around Saskatoon all year round, like the magpies and blue jays.  And smaller birds may find themselves facing more problems due to the prescense of yet another species that may prey on them.