corvids Archives - Page 2 of 12

09/06/202309/06/2023

Corvid Isle Sanctuary Needs Your Support

We come to you today with a heartfelt appeal on behalf of our cherished corvids. Corvid Isle Sanctuary is a small and entirely self-funded non for profit organisation based in the Scottish Highlands. We provide a safe haven for these intelligent and captivating birds, who have faced hardships and adversity.

GoFundMe – Corvid Isle Sanctuary Needs Your Support

At our sanctuary, we offer a forever home to corvids that have endured unimaginable challenges. Many have suffered injuries, or impairments or have been orphaned, requiring specialised care and attention. We believe in their inherent worth and dedicate ourselves to their well-being, providing a sanctuary where they can flourish and find refuge from a world that often misunderstands them.

01/06/202302/06/2023

Identification of Juvenile Rooks and Carrion Crows

It is usually not difficult to differentiate between adult rooks (Corvus frugilegus) and carrion crows (Corvus corone). Both species may look similar at the first glance, because both have black feathers that can also look glossy. However, the long pale and pointy beak, with bare skin around its base, is the most striking and characteristic feature of rooks. It is also worth knowing that rooks nest collectively in tall trees, often close to farms or villages, which are known as rookeries. In contrast, carrion crows are fairly solitary and are usually found alone or in pairs, although they may form occasional non-breeding flocks. Unlike rooks, carrion crows do nest solitary, maintaining a large breeding territory centred around the nest.

Additional help and information about how to identify adult corvids including rooks and carrion crows can be found on the British Trust for Ornithology website (BTO).

British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) – Identifying Corvids – Crow, Chough, Jackdaw, Rook and Raven

08/05/202308/05/2023

Corvid Isle – Easyfundraising

Thank you to everyone for raising donations for Corvid Isle with #easyfundraising! If you haven’t signed up yet, it’s easy and completely FREE. 7,400 brands will donate to us when you use easyfundraising to do your everyday online shopping – at no extra cost to you! Every donation you raise makes a difference to us so please sign up and share today.

08/04/202308/04/2023

Eyes – Windows to the Soul

It has been said that the eyes are windows to the soul. Research has shown that the apertures of our eyes offer a glimpse into the mind. No doubt that this applies to human and non-human animals. The pupil response to cognitive and emotional events occurs on an even smaller scale than the light reflex, but with the right tools this response is measurable.

When we give a human or non-human being moral consideration, then this simply means that we take into account how they will be affected by our actions, omissions, attitudes and decisions. Sentient individuals, regardless of their species, have morally relevant interests in being alive and in not being harmed, and this does not vary according to the fact whether a species is rare or common.

When I look into the eyes of an animal, I do not see an animal.
I see a living being. I see a friend. I feel a soul.
Anthony Douglas Williams

27/02/202312/01/2024

Naughty Hooded Crow

This short videoclip shows a fascinating encounter between a rather naughty and very persistent hooded crow and a juvenile mute swan. Neither the victim nor a nearby adult bird, presumably a parent of the young swan, seem to be too much annoyed by the antics of the crow, who repeatedly pulls the tail or tries to get hold of some wing feathers.