STRANGE FRIENDSHIP

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Maureen K Clifford
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STRANGE FRIENDSHIP

Post by Maureen K Clifford » Sat Dec 17, 2011 2:28 pm

Strange Friendship

Last summer just before the floods hit Ipswich I rescued two crows that had fallen from their nest 30 feet up in a big Cocos palm – one of three in my garden. I don’t like crows, but these were babies, quite big and fully fledged able to flutter but not fly. I think they were so big and heavy that the nest just gave out on them. Sadly I suspect part of their diet had been the fledgling chicks from my Superb wrens - but nature is like that.

At the time I thought there was only one crow chick, I saw the girls chase it and fearful they would get eye pecked yelled at them to leave it, which they did but they had cornered it up against the fence. They were not though showing any aggression towards it. They had taken up more of a guarding stance waiting for me to get to it. Meanwhile the two parent birds were sitting overhead screaming bloody murder.

Throwing a towel over it I managed after a bit of chasing to catch it. It was healthy and nothing broken, so locking the two girls under the house I went across the road to borrow a neighbours old cocky cage. He feeds the butcher birds and magpies and suggested I leave it with him and hopefully the parents would come back and feed it. We decided it just needed a little R and R time to recover. So we gave it some water, dribbling it into its beak and found a sheltered shady spot under a tree out of reach of cats and left it in the cage there. All was well

That had wasted about 30 minutes so back home I go to let the girls out only to find that unbeknownst to me a second crow fledgling had got under the house and once again the girls had him cornered but weren’t showing the slightest bit of aggression towards him, more puzzled by his incessant calling.. Repeat of action one and now two crows in a fairly large cage.

Cut to the chase – three days later we released them as the parents were hanging around and the two chicks were definitely stronger and over their initial fright. We placed them high up in a tree and their flying lessons must have been eventually successful although we rescued them again twice before away they went. They were used to being picked up by now and never pecked and I just put leather gloves on and put them back in the tree. As before no aggression from the two dogs, just the Border Collie herding instinct kicking in each time. Without the dogs I doubt I would have been able to capture them - but each time they fell to the ground Mahalia would herd them over to the fence and hold them there,

Over the past year these two crows have popped in now and again to say g’day, and yesterday and today were back in full force playing with the girls. How do I know it is the same two crows??? Instinct tells me it is…..actually three crows have come to visit today but only two are playing. I think the third one might be the boy crows new mate. They possible came back to nest in their old palm tree, but I have had them removed and the Jacaranda and Poinciana tree are too airy fairy for their liking.

They sit and call and call until the girls charge downstairs into the yard and then the games begin. They swoop to the clothes line with the girls in hot pursuit and then back to the tree. The girls jumping and grinning beneath them. Then they do a low level bombing run just out of reach, and the two dogs run like crazy across the yard after them. This goes on for about 20 minutes until eventually the dogs are worn out and come inside. The crows sit on the clothesline making disconsolate noises, not worried by me taking their piccies and talking to them. Eventually with a few more loud cark, cark noises they fly away….but they’ll be back.

A strange friendship, but they know they won’t be harmed here and I think it is wonderful that they recognize the dogs and me as friendly faces.

But I still don’t like crows. Just make an exception for these two.

Maureen
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Neville Briggs
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Re: STRANGE FRIENDSHIP

Post by Neville Briggs » Sat Dec 17, 2011 3:17 pm

Easy to read Maureen, clear and direct language it seems to me. Good sentences I think.

A good yarn.

As long as the crow
doesn't start to intone..
Nevermore.

:roll:
Neville
" Prose is description, poetry is presence " Les Murray.

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Re: STRANGE FRIENDSHIP

Post by Neville Briggs » Sun Dec 18, 2011 2:35 pm

We have ravens..well I learn something every day. When I was a kid I used to read Enid Blyton childrens' adventure books, her characters operated in an area populated by ubiquitous rooks.

I always wondered whether a rook was a crow or a raven or something else ? Maureen might know that one.
Neville
" Prose is description, poetry is presence " Les Murray.

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Maureen K Clifford
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Re: STRANGE FRIENDSHIP

Post by Maureen K Clifford » Sun Dec 18, 2011 4:31 pm

Pretty sure these are what we have in our garden - the Torresian Crow which is definitely not a raven although they are similar in looks - the eye is the give away apparently with a milky bluey white ring. Their nest when it came down was full of shredded paper, plastic, lollie wrappers, straw ie sugar cane mulch and Mahalias fur. They are the most common species of crow in the Brisbane region. Further south what you may well have is ravens

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torresian_Crow
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I may not always succeed in making a difference, but I will go to my grave knowing I at least tried.

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Maureen K Clifford
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Re: STRANGE FRIENDSHIP

Post by Maureen K Clifford » Sun Dec 18, 2011 6:27 pm

Stone the crows :lol:
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I may not always succeed in making a difference, but I will go to my grave knowing I at least tried.

Jasper Brush

Re: STRANGE FRIENDSHIP

Post by Jasper Brush » Sun Dec 18, 2011 6:58 pm

G'day Maureen.

Long time between drinks.

A good story.

You have a flare for journalism.


There are ravens in Australia. Pam and I were in the Southern Alps, Victoria in the 80's. I can not remember the town.

There were ravens flying around and nesting in steep cliffs. We were standing in a lookout, below, was a sheer drop into a valley.

I read your non-fiction articles on WD they were well written and interesting. :D

Regards,

John

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Maureen K Clifford
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Re: STRANGE FRIENDSHIP

Post by Maureen K Clifford » Sun Dec 18, 2011 8:17 pm

G'day John - How are you doing. Hope this finds you in good health and looking forward to Christmas with your mob. Thank you for your kind comment John - nice to know someone thinks my ramblings have some merit :lol: :lol:

Merry Christmas to you and Pam

Cheers

Maureen
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I may not always succeed in making a difference, but I will go to my grave knowing I at least tried.

Neville Briggs
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Re: STRANGE FRIENDSHIP

Post by Neville Briggs » Mon Dec 19, 2011 7:20 am

It's not ramblings Maureen..it's very well written.
Neville
" Prose is description, poetry is presence " Les Murray.

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Stephen Whiteside
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Re: STRANGE FRIENDSHIP

Post by Stephen Whiteside » Mon Dec 19, 2011 7:21 am

Interesting story, Maureen. Those birds are a lot smarter than we tend to give them credit for, eh?
Stephen Whiteside, Australian Poet and Writer
http://www.stephenwhiteside.com.au

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Maureen K Clifford
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Re: STRANGE FRIENDSHIP

Post by Maureen K Clifford » Thu Dec 22, 2011 9:38 am

They are Stephen - very intelligent. They have been back every day and managed to snap one doing a bombing run over Ellyssa today, and today all 3 crows were playing. :lol: :lol:
Check out The Scribbly Bark Poets blog site here -
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I may not always succeed in making a difference, but I will go to my grave knowing I at least tried.

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