wildlife Archives - Corvid Isle

24/08/202424/08/2024

Pigeon Bianca

Introducing Corvid Isle Sanctuary Residents

Bianca is a white pigeon, most likely one of the many released at weddings or funerals. She is very likely one of those dove-like selectively bred white homing pigeons. Customers are usually reassured that reputable companies train white homing pigeons to fly immediately home after being released and that they ensure the birds’ safety throughout the event and beyond. What is advertised and sold as being a homage to a person passed, or as a magical moment and talking point during a wedding, is just another example of animal abuse and the cruelty caused by human self-centredness and ignorance. Bianca is one of the many released birds who did not find their way back to their loft.

19/08/202419/08/2024

Carrion Crow Colin

Introducing Corvid Isle Sanctuary Residents

Colin came to us in March 2017, after we have been contacted for help and advice by his kind-hearted rescuer. It turned out that Colin was an imprinted unreleasable carrion crow born in spring 2016. He was found as an injured orphaned nestling on the ground after a severe storm, and has been subsequently raised by his own without the company of his own kind.

What is Imprinting?

Imprinting in wild birds is a critical and essential learning process that occurs during a sensitive period shortly after hatching. During this time, a young bird forms a strong attachment to the first moving object it sees, which is usually his or her parent. Interestingly, this attachment helps the bird learn essential survival behaviours, such as recognising its species, following the parent and learning specific feeding techniques.

03/08/202403/08/2024

Feral Pigeons Amber and Ambros

Introducing Corvid Isle Sanctuary Residents

At our Corvid Isle Sanctuary, we do also care for other bird species such as feral pigeons. We also provide a safe forever home for ex-racing pigeons, which have been neglected and abandoned by so called pigeon fanciers. Feral pigeons Amber and Ambros came to us in 2017 and 2015 respectively.

Feral Pigeon Ambros

Ambros arrived at the sanctuary in December 2015 as an orphaned fledgling. We raised him until he was fully independent and attempted to release him back into his flock. This did not work out as expected, as Ambros strictly refused to leave. We eventually accepted his decision and took him back home, where he joined our own small free flying mixed feral and ex-racing pigeon flock.

29/04/202420/06/2024

Management of Interspecies Interactions in Captivity

Introduction

This blog post is aimed to provide some useful information regarding the potential need for the management of interspecies interactions between different corvid species in captivity. We are frequently being asked, mostly by rehabbers and rescue centres, if and how certain corvid species can be kept together in an aviary environment. This question often becomes of interest due to a reoccurring problem in wildlife rescue and rehabilitation – the lack of available aviary space.

To shed some light onto this topic, one has to consider two different main scenarios. If and how different corvid species can and should be kept together depends on the set goal to be achieved, as there are different considerations to be made. The two main scenarios are rescue, rehabilitation and release opposed to long-term care in a sanctuary like environment. We will discuss and examen both scenarios in this blogpost.

12/01/202408/04/2024

Large-billed Crow Project in South Korea

We would like to support Joey Rositano’s ‘Large-billed Crow Project’ in South Korea by sharing the link to the Kickstarter he is currently running for the digital version of his book ‘Scattering’.

‘Scattering’ is a limited edition photography book about crow feeding rituals on Jeju Island in South Korea. As part of their shamanic faith residents of Jeju Island leave portions of food for scavenging animals, especially crows. Over five years Joey Rositano documented the special relationship between people and large-billed crows in the village of Darakut in South Korea.