A white raven picks through discarded items near a trash bin and draws a crowd of photographrs on West 27th Avenue in Anchorage on January 15, 2024. (Marc Lester / ADN) About the only signs of the rare white raven that entertained Anchorage last winter are pictures posted on a Facebook page, taken before it disappeared. It’s a photo parade of the white raven’s greatest hits that captured its trickster nature – pictures of the bird as it relished pieces of toast and tater tots – or peered whimsically from a fence top.
Thousands and thousands of photographs were taken, and yet the bird remains a mystery. Now, there’s a lingering lament, “Oh, White Raven, White Raven. Wherefore art thou sweet raven?” And while a raven of any other color would be as full of mischief, somehow its white feathers and clear blue eyes stole the hearts of Spenard, the Anchorage neighborhood where this love story began.
The white raven arrived sometime in October last year and quickly attained celebrity status. Paparazzi soon documented its every move. The bird even seemed to play to the cameras and was quite vocal.
Photographers gather to capture images of a white raven on West 27th Avenue in Anchorage on January 15, 2024. (Marc Lester / ADN) But come April, there was silence. The bird left town along with most of the ravens that winter in Anchorage.
The departure coincided with the arrival of raucous seagulls. Wildlife biologist Rick Sinnott has studied these comings and goings. He says .