When the children at Dronfield Junior School spotted this young crow in the playground their first thought was to fetch their teacher Mrs. Ford. Jim Crow couldn’t fly, not because he is injured but is lacking in food and strength and is still a youngster and not fully developed. There is a magic moment when birds are able to fly and this young fella hasn’t reached it yet. Where are mum and dad and the nest? Nowhere to be seen, it’s easy for young birds to become split up from their family and prey to cats and dogs and other predators.
But this wasn’t going to happen to Jimmie. Mrs. Ford caught him with an improvised net made from a lightweight cloth (a net curtain is also ideal). A box was found and this feisty crow was put inside. He is a fierce young fella and wasn’t at all pleased to be rescued!
When he was brought in to us the first thing he did was to go on the attack, which was a good sign as it meant he hadn’t given up on life, although his beak is sharp and it was an ‘ouch’ situation and where’s the Dettol for a minute or two.
He’s a handsome young bird with a jet black beak and legs. His wing feathers have a touch of white on them. His beak is very strong, his feathers are glossy. It’s easy to see that he is undernourished though and our guess is that this is why he isn’t flying yet.
We’ve put him in a cage rather than the aviary and are giving him an intensive feeding regime which he is loving. There hasn’t been a young bird with such a good appetite brought in for ages. Usually it’s shock and being persuaded to eat when they’ve recovered. This little chap gets stuck in to his mealworms and seeds and grain right away. More please!
Thanks to teacher Mrs. Ford and everyone at Dronfield Junior School for rescuing Jim Crow and please follow his progress – releasing him back to the wild is our aim.