Saving Raven

I spotted a raven this morning walking around some buildings at work. He seemed to be quite bold, almost like a pigeon in his proximity to humans. He also squawked like he was trying to talk. I knew there was a nest in one of the buildings, so I assumed it was one of the parents or a juvenile. However, when I passed him an hour and a half later, I noticed one of his wings had a feather out of place. Upon closer examination, I could see blood on his left wing. Time for action.

I called the Wild Bird Care Centre which is a small local facility who educate, rehabilitate and eventually release birds in need of assistance. We have brought a few birds to them for help including a couple of bitterns which will be part of a future post. The WBCC survive based on donations and we make an effort to donate online or drop them off supplies on a regular basis.

“Looks like his eyes are maybe saying thank you”) Looks like his eyes are maybe saying thank you

The Wild Bird Care Centre recommended that I try and grab a couple of people with blankets and after capturing him, place him in a ventilated box. I went back to my office building and grabbed a couple of colleagues, Krystal W. and Garnet R. who helped gather some blankets and emptied a cardboard box. The 3 of us then went back to where the raven was resting. Garnet and I grabbed the blankets while Krystal stood ready with the box. We approached him from different angles and he really didn’t move too much. I was able to grab the raven and gently place him in the box. He did not fight and almost seemed relieved. We brought him back to the office until I could arrange a vehicle because I couldn’t transport him on the motorcycle.

I brought him to the Wild Bird Care Centre about 30 mins later. They confirmed it was a raven and were unsure of the sex. They also confirmed it was a juvenile because of the blue eyes. I wondered about the difference about crows vs ravens and found this link. It turns out that ravens are a protected bird in Ontario according to the Ontario Field Ornithologists . It was great to be able to help an animal in need of assistance.

Thanks again to Krystal and Garnet for their assistance. Please donate to the Wild Bird Care Centre.

Update 2015-05-29 – I called the Wild Bird Care Centre and there is no fracture. He had a laceration on his left wing with a few feathers missing. He is being moved to a different facility today so we won’t be able to see him again but he will recover just fine.