Poseidon & Hera

Poseidon and Hera are the first juvenile crows I have ever met, so they will always be special. 

Last year I did not know the pairs enough, so I was completely oblivious to their nest building, baby rearing and fledgling woes. But this year I promised myself that I would be more supportive. So I have been feeding three local pairs consistently with proper protein - which led me to set up a culture of mealworms and morio worms. I tried calciworms too but I really dislike flies… so that was a bit of a fiasco. But the other cultures are doing well.

This evening I took two small cubes of raw beef for Cronus and Rhea. They took the pieces straight away (the magpies had to be kicked out twice though - they are getting rather bold now they know I mean nutritious food… oops!).

Rhea fed Poseidon in front of me, whilst Hera waited for her turn. Poseidon looks a lot like dad. Hera has a funny tail. I have no idea if they are male or female, no real way of knowing until they pair up and start a nest, but for the sake of gender balance they have been named this way. Cronus stayed behind to cache the suet cubes I also got them. 

I never see the juveniles on my morning walks.  I see the parents who clearly have their chicks hidden because they are still vulnerable and learning about the world around them…but in the evening the youngsters usually make and appearance so as to say ‘Hi, I’m here!’

They are curious and tend to look at me from several angles and heights, probably taking a mental picture of me and (hopefully) labelling it ‘safe’ and ‘trustworthy’. 

‘Perhaps the greatest gift an animal has to offer is a permanent reminder of who we really are.’ ~ Nick Trout