Orphan crow but I'm going away for 9 days...

[Bella_F]

Hi everyone,

I picked up a severely weakened juvenile crow with pox yesterday;. I dunno, maybe this wasn't such a success afterall, if its him I'm trying not to let my imagination run away with me, but there's a chance its him and worry that I failed him

[Jaye]

Well...you could look at it that way...OR...you could look at it like:

if it IS him (which I dunno...you'd know better than anyone) then once again, he is very fortunate to be under your care again....and we are all sending you the best wishes and vibes that you can help the guy out....

If it isn't...then, well....ditto above.

Keep us posted.

[Bella_F]

Dear Jaye,

Thanks a lot for your encouragment. Sadly, he didn't make it and I still don't know for sure if its `my' orphan or not. Its sad either way, but kind of demoralisng to think that it could be him

I've had about 7 baby crows and 10 adult crows `living' in my yard since June, and I've lost track of who is who. Around 4 of the babies looked and acted similarly to my little guy, and the one sure way I identified him was via his voice, which was unmistakable. But he was pecked by the adult crows for crying back in June, and stopped doing it all together since then, so I haven't been 100% sure who is who.

This little one had pox, maybe other problems like internal parasites too, but his overwhelming problem was he was so very skinny. I suppose any of the baby crows could have got that skinny from pox and worms, but I worry that my little orphan wasn't able to feed himself or work out what to eat when I stopped feeding him regularly. It really is so awful and disheartening to think of it, I just have to stop thinking about it I guess. I'll try to learn from it and see it as a positive, that at least he had 9 months of life tat he would not have had if I hadn't have met him as a baby.

[Bella_F]

Good news! It turns out my Orphan Crow did make it after all....he'd be about 11 months old now It feels so good to see him independent and part of a big group after being abandoned, distressed, and so helpless in the beginning.

The poor little one with pox that died in my care was a 2-3 year old, which is something I didn't notice until I looked through some photos I took of him before it died. The 2 year olds have white eyes, with remnants of hazel around the pupil, whereas the babies and yearlings have dark brown eyes...

The Orphan's feathers are still tatty, but he flies very well now, and he forages on the ground and gets up to mischief with his other baby friends. It looks like all the babies from the local area have banded together- there are around 19 of them now (including some un-mated adults).

I've never been close to crows before so this year has been an amazing experience. I have grown to love their company and sounds, and I never grow tired of watching their behavior. I think I'd actually feel quite lonely, now, without the sounds of crows around me...it shows how much these intelligent, sensitive creatures get under your skin

[rook]

I'm very glad to hear that things turned out to be alright for your orphan crow, although it is obviously very sad as well that the other youngster hasn't made it. x Stephan.

[spirit wings]

"I've never been close to crows before so this year has been an amazing experience. I have grown to love their company and sounds, and I never grow tired of watching their behavior. I think I'd actually feel quite lonely, now, without the sounds of crows around me...it shows how much these intelligent, sensitive creatures get under your skin"


I know what Bella meant when she posted this. here is "my" bunch I feed.

[altgirl35]

Originally Posted by Bella_F

Good news! It turns out my Orphan Crow did make it after all....he'd be about 11 months old now It feels so good to see him independent and part of a big group after being abandoned, distressed, and so helpless in the beginning.

The poor little one with pox that died in my care was a 2-3 year old, which is something I didn't notice until I looked through some photos I took of him before it died. The 2 year olds have white eyes, with remnants of hazel around the pupil, whereas the babies and yearlings have dark brown eyes...

The Orphan's feathers are still tatty, but he flies very well now, and he forages on the ground and gets up to mischief with his other baby friends. It looks like all the babies from the local area have banded together- there are around 19 of them now (including some un-mated adults).

I've never been close to crows before so this year has been an amazing experience. I have grown to love their company and sounds, and I never grow tired of watching their behavior. I think I'd actually feel quite lonely, now, without the sounds of crows around me...it shows how much these intelligent, sensitive creatures get under your skin

bella, the crows here have blue eyes as babies and they get darker as they get older