State of the World's Birds

Please take a minute and read this important article on the state of birds worldwide.

http://www.independentaustralia.net/environment/environment-display/david-suzuki-state-of-the-worlds-birds-is-bleak-but-not-hopeless,5534

Happy 100th to The Ornithological Society of Japan

Happy 100th Birthday to The Ornithological Society of Japan
http://ornithology.jp/

Our birthday is the same, May 3rd! haha
Please join and support Ornithology in Japan, and the world; birds need our attention more than ever before, right now!

Thank You Cornell Lab of Ornithology for Identifying Fig

With the professional assistance of the kind folks at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Fig has now been more positively identified as a Japanese Jungle Crow. It was a difficult identification because the Jungle Crow looks very similar to the common Raven. There are only a couple of physically distinguishing characteristics. In fact their look, their behavior, their language, everything appears to me to be somewhere between the Crow and the Raven so one has to rely on all the information to make a determination. I will continue to write more about this in greater detail.

Currently, Forest Crows, and Jungle Crows are in plentiful supply to study, but Ravens may prove harder to locate, but I will try, as I think it is very interesting that the lowly, quiet Forest Crows are made to share a bad reputation surely belonging wholly to the Jungle Crow, and the Raven is called Common when indeed that word too ought to belong to the Jungle Crow.

In addition, I think Fig is a she, but this too is not fully certain, and will be easier to determine as time goes on.  Her face, her bone structure, and her disposition say Female to me, but I could be wrong.

Anyway, my apologies for anyone trying to follow this blog which has now changed its name three times.

Please search for Cornell Lab of Ornithology on Facebook, as the information they have about birds is entertaining, thorough, detailed, and very well presented.

China and Japan, Like Birds in a Nest

http://www.focusonnature.com/BirdListRareBirdsJapan.htm#SIL

      Focus on Nature Tours, FONT, has a fantastic website with conservation information, and beautiful pictures of birds of Japan. 

      The story of the reintroduction of the beautiful Crested Ibis to the Japanese Island of Sado with China's assistance is moving, breaking news, a poignant, true tale of heartbreaking extinction under humanity's watch, and international collaboration at its very best between two nations which are more often portrayed in the news as at each other's throats, and indifferent to nature than cooperating, and sharing to make wild bird conservation happen successfully. Just scroll down the link page; it is a story worth reading about,  knowing about, and supporting. 

     
      I post this link here because it is informative, but also as a clear example where the "Crow", but more likely the Jungle Crow in actuality, has footed the blame for man's misdeeds.  The big black birds may have played their natural part, but they did not drive the Japanese Crested Ibis to extinction, humanity did.
     
      FONT, I am writing to you on behalf of Crows to request that you clarify the facts behind the Japanese Crested Ibis' demise on your website, and I will post your reply here. 

Jungle Crow or Raven in JFA Soccer Logo

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-legged_crow

      The above link is to the wikipedia article on the origins of the mythical three-legged Raven, or Jungle Crow, called Yatagarasu. This three legged bird happens to be featured in the Japan Football (Soccer) Association's logo. Historically, the appearance of the Raven, or Jungle Crow on the battle field (obviously they showed up for dinner)was seen as a sign of divine intervention in human affairs. Thus the large black birds became a traditional symbol of victory in Japan. 

      I post this here to remind modern Japanese people who are not Crow fans that  your ancestors had the wisdom to revere these majestic creatures. Fig and I have encountered very few people who are not Crow fans in Japan, by the way.  It seems like almost everyone is curious, admiring, empathetic, and supportive of poor Fig.

      Yatagarasu means "eight span Crow"; I wonder if the eight spans refers to the Raven, or Jungle Crow's prominent, splayed flight feathers? I wonder if the cry Yatta! which means Hooray! in Japanese, as all Heroes TV show fans surely know, came from this mythological creature's name? 

Figgy's Pretty Face at Six Months

If You Find A Baby Bologna

      If you find a young, healthy bird on the ground, you should not take it into your care until you have observed it for a few hours and made certain the parents are not caring for it still. It is normal for many types of young birds to spend time on the ground before they can fly well. Even a very young bird on the ground may still be receiving care from its parents.

      Very young birds which cannot be returned to their nest, are in danger from cats, and birds which are,  for whatever reason,  lost, abandoned, or orphaned, sick or injured should be brought to a licensed wildlife rehabilitation center for proper care, and release. Place the bird in a closed, dry box with lots of small air holes and a soft towel, or blanket. 
      Please note, however, that in Japan, and most likely your country too, that most Veterinarians, Zoos, and Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers will not give care to Sparrows, Pigeons, Crows or other types of birds viewed as common, a pest, invasive, or domesticated. It is a sad reality because Jungle Crows are native, wild, migratory song-birds supposedly "protected" by the International Migratory Bird Treaty Act. There under it is illegal to possess a wild bird as a pet, with the intention of rehabilitation and release, or even to collect a feather found on the sidewalk. I did not know any of this at the time I so innocently, with good intention, collected Fig to take her to a licensed wildlife rehab center. It is confusing. 

      Recently, in the news there was a story about celebrity Melissa Bachman shooting a lion in a santioned hunt. This is a form of conservation fund raising, getting money from rich, sicko, egomaniac thrill-seekers.  Surprisingly, this is exactly the same form of conservation practiced by the authors, and legislators of the International Migratory Bird Treaty Act, who regularly legislate cullings, and issue hunting licenses poetically called Bird Stamps to raise funds to buy conservation land, and support other conservation efforts. While the Act has been called the most successful wildlife conservation fund raising effort in history, I cannot support conservation which does anything short of protecting all birds. Crows in particular have family units they rely on life long. You are not allowed to hunt during nesting season because the young need their parents, and siblings; you should not be allowed to hunt birds period as most of them are social, and rely upon there "family" unit to learn and survive. The current form of conservation espouses the idea that wildlife must be "managed" and made to fit into the human world. Real conservation acts to fit humans into the natural world, disallowing us from continuing to degrade and set Nature off her balanced state of homeostasis.  Humans are common. Humans are invasive. Humans are pests. Not the birds. Humans have upset the balance which is Nature which we are obligated to respect from birth.  As a result of our disregard, we are now double-obligated to protect, and fix, and pay for anything we break in Nature's china shop. Crows do not nest on twelve story concrete buildings in nature. Nor do they fall twelve stories onto asphault when they fledge. 

      The impending calamity global warming is causing continues to unfold most recently in the Philippines. The irony of Nature's justice is that by being a common, invasive pest, we humans have ultimately endangered ourselves. Our old model of conservation is wrong, a big red herring. Gandhi said, "You should be the change you want to see in the world." Well, I want to see a world where every wild bird is equally respected, protected, admired, and revered. I want to see a world where there is a place for the other living things who unselfishly share this planet with us. We have to start by making that place in our hearts. 

http://m.nydailynews.com/1.1519039  

      Note:  Feeding baby birds is tricky business, and you could easily kill a bird if you are untrained, and inexperienced. If your bird is old enough to eat on its own, I suggest very small pieces of bread soaked in water. Let the bird eat on its own; DO NOT attempt to feed it by putting food into its beak. Be very careful not to let it over eat. Get it to professional care as soon as possible.