The lighthouse raven that won’t stop pecking

by Ben Stocking August 13, 2025August 13, 2025

Don’t mind the raven: So reads a sign at the Point Reyes Lighthouse, where an inexplicably insistent bird stations himself day after day on window and skylight, pecking at his own image. Park rangers and bird enthusiasts offer theories as to why. (David Briggs / Point Reyes Light)

The lighthouse at the tip of Point Reyes is not the only icon on the dramatic Pacific Coast headland.

Over the last several years, a raven with a penchant for pecking has also developed an outsized reputation among visitors to the park.

Nearly every day, he shows up at the lighthouse visitor center and bangs away, rapping on windows and skylights like a manic handyman whose lust for hammering can never be quenched.