Lucky The Crow. 2006 - 2011. Sadly Missed.

Sadness abounds around the old homestead today, as we mourn the death of, as it turned out, the mis-named, 'Lucky' the crow.

She, or he, we never did determine the true gender, but thought female, lived with us from her fledgling days. We knew at first not to interfere when we found her and her sibling. Her parents were still around. However when the sibling was killed on the road, and Lucky was injured by an unknown predator, we took her, if you will excuse the unintended pun, under our wing.

George, my extremely handsome son, cared for her, until she was old enough to be given her freedom. We wondered if her slightly damaged wing would hinder her from flying, but on the day of release, she took to the sky with ease, and disappeared from our lives.

Three days later she reappeared, and never strayed from our boundaries again. In the first few days of her return she was, to be frank, as far as I was concerned, a flipping nuisance. she would without warning fly down and land on my head. Always a shock and painful as she dug her claws into my scalp. I soon discouraged this and she gave me up as a potential roost.

George however, had no such qualms and she took to always flying to him. He became the only person she fully trusted. It was a wonderful thing to hear him call to her and watch her fly and land on his outstretched arm.

Last year at four years old she reached maturity, and I wondered if the call of the wild would encourage her away. But it never did. Perhaps she knew that due to her damaged wing, and small size, she would not prosper.

She mucked in with the chickens most of the time, sharing their food. Sadie, the German Shepherd, and Bonnie the cat, somehow knew that she was part of the family and gave her no grief. Sadie would even tolerate Lucky's favourite game of sneaking up behind her, pulling her tail, and running away. Remarkable tolerance from Sadie, who does not like crows or magpies being on her territory and chases them away. How  she could tell the difference from a distance, always amazed me.

We suspect, from the way her feathers had been plucked out, that she was taken by a sparrowhawk. The same sparrowhawk who has cleared the area of collared doves, and takes the occasional blackbird.

So goodbye Lucky. Thanks for enriching our lives. We will miss you.

She lived free and wild, and I guess she died as a wild bird dies.