The following is a message which I wrote the day after I gave up a young injured raven to a local wildlife rehabber. It was posted on the Crows Group on August 14, 2002. Here I talk about two other ravens, and what happened to them.
Okay, I guess it's time for me to post my first message. I've been lurking around here for a couple of months, and I really enjoy all the great information from so many people who love crows and other corvids. The message archives are fascinating, and it's going to take me a while to browse through all of them.
Anyway, what prompted me to post --
I've been an admirer of corvids for some years now. I especially enjoy watching our local ravens. They are fascinating birds, but so hard to get to know. They tend to be shy in the extreme, but once in a while you can see them up close when driving by.
In early June this year, I was surprised to hear my dad come in and say he had just seen a raven on the ground being harassed by crows. Having an interest in ravens, I immediately thought it might be in trouble, and went to investigate. I was too late -- By the time I came within sight of it, I saw a white tail deer (a doe) trampling the raven into the ground! I chased the deer (and the crows) away, and found the raven still alive, but barely. It was almost completely paralyzed, probably its back was broken. I carried it to safety, but it only lived a short time. Even then, after being with a raven up close, and holding it, it had an effect on me. When it died, I felt as sad as if some pet I had had for years had died, and I still feel sad about that one. There's something amazing about those birds!
A week ago, I came upon my second raven on the roadside. I
was in a hurry, and unable to stop and investigate, but it looked
to be acting not quite normal. It didn't fly off the way most
do, but just hopped off the road. I didn't give it much thought,
until later in the day I was returning home, and saw a black spot in
distance, in the same location where I saw the raven earlier. I
thought, "Oh no, it's not dead, is it?" But it was, fallen in
the road right where I had passed it, and not injured. I had to
wrap it up and send it off to be tested for West Nile virus. :-(
I still haven't heard if it came up positive or not. This one
didn't affect me the way the other had, maybe because I hadn't been
with it when it was alive.
I'm glad people here appreciate long messages, because I have a lot of story bottled up! I'll continue with the third raven in the next message.
--
Ethan
