As I stated in my last post, I was planning to replace the flimsy material that has fenced Fig in, or rather fenced her siblings out, as come March, the males in her family can become intensely, aggressively territorial. Fig's dad and his chosen right hand man patrol their breeding grounds with impressive ferocity, as Fig and I found out two years ago when they violently attacked her by surprise while Fig played in the tree by our building, and chatted to me in English. I will never ever forget that incredible spectacle, and the intense 20minute confrontation she and I weathered before she finally managed to leap safely back into my arms; it was as impressive as watching, and listening to wild tigers having a brawl with deafening, blood curdling, life and death growls, and roars one usually does not get to witness or hear; very impressive; unforgettable, raw nature at it's best. It is the kind of shocking spectacle that makes one automatically call out with one's voice in such a primal, instinctive, defensive manner, that one feels very much like a wild monkey, more than a man. Anyway, I digress....
So I had not done the fence, yet. I suppose I had been waiting for February to have her last good frost. And a few days back, I come home in the late afternoon to find Fig peering out of a 40cm wide hole in her fence. Her mother had come and eaten a hole in Fig's fence in an attempt to jail break her. Claw marks were all over the outside of Fig's roof, but the hole was in the side of the fence just above Fig's favorite place to sit. I know it was Mom because she is the only one who visits Fig every morning and afternoon, and the only one daring enough to land on Fig's enclosure roof. I remind you that she and Pappa have maintained a close relationship with Fig these past three years, though always from a distance, and mainly vocal/auditory as the cannot see one another when Fig is in her enclosure. Fig's Mom, though, comes and sits in the tree, on the wall, or the opposite building's antennae and chats with Fig in a low voice daily, sometimes for and hour, or two, or three.
Mom is coming up on mating season, and nesting, and the last two years have been unproductive years for her. I think building staff have been diligently destroying nests. She only managed one offspring last year, and three two years back, and I think none of them survived. Fig on the other hand is the runt of a large litter of possibly eight or nine, and maybe there were two or three successful nests three years back, so a massive squadron of siblings took to the skies that spring. I suppose that explains why poor Figgy got so badly trampled in the nest, and ended up with an ingrown feather.
Anyway, Fig's Mom made a very nearly successful jail break attempt. If she had done it in the morning, she'd likely have succeeded, but because she probably did it in the afternoon, Fig was too nervous to take a walk around town so close to sun down. She is no dummy, but she was having a mighty good look out that giant hole when I showed up home. The hole was big enough for two Crows to fit through, so if she had really been in the mood for a wander she'd have had it. I am sure I would have found and retrieved her, still I really do not enjoy unplanned outings as having Fig wandering free as hormones are beginning to soar is extremely scary. I know hormones are beginning to soar because Fig's hormones, too, are soaring lately. She sings me never ending love songs, vibrates her tail, and squats down low with her beak raised 90 degrees; she's in full swing to swing. She is now a mature Crow, and I suspect her mother was looking for Fig's assistance to raise this year's brood. She probably also wants to teach Fig how to be a successful mother. It is a heartwarming, and heartwrenching tale to live and tell, but I am convinced that Fig has a happy and fulfilling life with our family. I will provide Fig with nest materials and see if she won't happily go about building a nest, and perhaps lay some eggs, poor baby. I do so wish there was some way Fig could be of use to her mother. It truly breaks my heart that she can not, or at least that I cannot think of a way.
I cannot help but suspect that this story may be one of very few recorded cases of a Mother Crow attempting to jail break her three year old daughter after three years captive, in order to gain her assistance with rearing young, or just to simply let her out free. Hopefully it can serve as convincing, and solid evidence of the intelligence, love, and deep commitment between family members of this incredible species of bird.
I went to the hardware store to buy new fence material, and it was closed until April. So I went to a store I usually would not go to. Amazingly they had four pieces of higher quality material cut to exactly, I mean, precisely, the size of Fig's fence, and I was able to resurface the fence that same evening. The odd coincidences do make me wonder sometimes. They really do. Anyway, I had to nearly ignore Fig until 10:30pm as a result of repairing the fence, and I can tell you, she really was not happy about that at all. She did not get angry or scold me, but she was perplexed and obviously a little sad, so I gave her an extra long shower, and face wash, and she soon cheered back up. These are very emotional animals. They are not loners. And they do not deal well with sudden change to routine or other family members usual habits.
So I had not done the fence, yet. I suppose I had been waiting for February to have her last good frost. And a few days back, I come home in the late afternoon to find Fig peering out of a 40cm wide hole in her fence. Her mother had come and eaten a hole in Fig's fence in an attempt to jail break her. Claw marks were all over the outside of Fig's roof, but the hole was in the side of the fence just above Fig's favorite place to sit. I know it was Mom because she is the only one who visits Fig every morning and afternoon, and the only one daring enough to land on Fig's enclosure roof. I remind you that she and Pappa have maintained a close relationship with Fig these past three years, though always from a distance, and mainly vocal/auditory as the cannot see one another when Fig is in her enclosure. Fig's Mom, though, comes and sits in the tree, on the wall, or the opposite building's antennae and chats with Fig in a low voice daily, sometimes for and hour, or two, or three.
Mom is coming up on mating season, and nesting, and the last two years have been unproductive years for her. I think building staff have been diligently destroying nests. She only managed one offspring last year, and three two years back, and I think none of them survived. Fig on the other hand is the runt of a large litter of possibly eight or nine, and maybe there were two or three successful nests three years back, so a massive squadron of siblings took to the skies that spring. I suppose that explains why poor Figgy got so badly trampled in the nest, and ended up with an ingrown feather.
Anyway, Fig's Mom made a very nearly successful jail break attempt. If she had done it in the morning, she'd likely have succeeded, but because she probably did it in the afternoon, Fig was too nervous to take a walk around town so close to sun down. She is no dummy, but she was having a mighty good look out that giant hole when I showed up home. The hole was big enough for two Crows to fit through, so if she had really been in the mood for a wander she'd have had it. I am sure I would have found and retrieved her, still I really do not enjoy unplanned outings as having Fig wandering free as hormones are beginning to soar is extremely scary. I know hormones are beginning to soar because Fig's hormones, too, are soaring lately. She sings me never ending love songs, vibrates her tail, and squats down low with her beak raised 90 degrees; she's in full swing to swing. She is now a mature Crow, and I suspect her mother was looking for Fig's assistance to raise this year's brood. She probably also wants to teach Fig how to be a successful mother. It is a heartwarming, and heartwrenching tale to live and tell, but I am convinced that Fig has a happy and fulfilling life with our family. I will provide Fig with nest materials and see if she won't happily go about building a nest, and perhaps lay some eggs, poor baby. I do so wish there was some way Fig could be of use to her mother. It truly breaks my heart that she can not, or at least that I cannot think of a way.
I cannot help but suspect that this story may be one of very few recorded cases of a Mother Crow attempting to jail break her three year old daughter after three years captive, in order to gain her assistance with rearing young, or just to simply let her out free. Hopefully it can serve as convincing, and solid evidence of the intelligence, love, and deep commitment between family members of this incredible species of bird.
I went to the hardware store to buy new fence material, and it was closed until April. So I went to a store I usually would not go to. Amazingly they had four pieces of higher quality material cut to exactly, I mean, precisely, the size of Fig's fence, and I was able to resurface the fence that same evening. The odd coincidences do make me wonder sometimes. They really do. Anyway, I had to nearly ignore Fig until 10:30pm as a result of repairing the fence, and I can tell you, she really was not happy about that at all. She did not get angry or scold me, but she was perplexed and obviously a little sad, so I gave her an extra long shower, and face wash, and she soon cheered back up. These are very emotional animals. They are not loners. And they do not deal well with sudden change to routine or other family members usual habits.
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