An Essex music venue has had to reschedule the first outdoor concert of the summer for an unusual reason: A family of ravens is living in the stage.
Double E Music and Events Director Ryan Clausen says staff discovered the ravens’ nest and eggs over the winter and got in touch with Vermont Fish and Wildlife to figure out what to do.
Ravens are a protected species under federal law, and it’s illegal to move or kill them without a permit. (The birds are thriving in Vermont.)
“The timing of it was a bit tricky because essentially you have to wait until a week after the last raven is there before you can move the nest, and that did coincide with our opening weekend,” Clausen said.
One young raven remains, living prominently at the front corner of the stage that looks out over picnic tables, a gazebo and the Essex Experience parking lot.
The May 30 concert was postponed to give the ravens a little more time to move out.
“I think the craziest thing is a group of ravens is called an unkindness,” Clausen said. “That was a new one for me. Everybody knows about the murder of crows, but the unkindness of ravens, yeah, that’s not something I come across a lot in my music biz travels.”
(A group of ravens is also called a conspiracy.)
The local band that had been scheduled to open the summer concert series — Troy Millette and the Fire Below — will now close the series in September.
