Fledging

Rickard and None's first fledged. Almost 6 weeks old.

I guess fledging is not that dramatic when you can easily climb back to your nest again. Nevertheless, yesterday (May 22nd) two of Rickard and None's chicks fledged and spent their first night out of the nest.

Three still to go.

I witnessed the fledgeling take its first sip of water from the tub, but it only took one shot before None and her wary look was between her chick and the camera.

Siden and Juno's chicks are a few days older than the ones next door, but maybe the hight of their nest makes them less daring. At least I would like to be sure that I could trust my wings before I dared the jump.

One of the chicks testing a branch.

However, at the feeding this morning one of Siden and Juno's chicks had also fledged and was walking around on the ground - curiously exploring the new surroundings.

//Helena

First steps

Rickard and None's nesting spot that at first seemed a bit awkward,  might not be so bad after all. The flat surface under the nest is quite spacious, and the chicks have started to take short walks outside the nest!

Baby raven walk, around day 36

We don't expect them to fledge until next week or so, and their way to full-fledged fledgelings might be a bit easier than Siden and Juno's first broods'. I wouldn't be surprised if I one morning find them all sitting on the board below the experiment room, and then they will only have 1, 5 metre to the ground. A small distance compared to wild ravens, that usually nest in very tall trees or on inaccessible cliffs.

The situation for Siden and Juno's nestlings has also improved with the new nestbox. Not only do they have more room for flight training and walking on the bottom of the nestbox, but also some branches outside the nest, to practice branch-sitting and prepare for the first trembling flight.

The family of seven chilling after lunch

 //Helena

Dirty work

Around 29 days old, with open beaks to keep cool.

Even though the chicks are now big enough to lift their rear ends over the nest's edge and poo outside, the parents still tidy away feacal residue to keep the chicks as clean as possible. Normally the plumage of a healthy adult ravens in speckless, so the somewhat dusty appearance and white beaks of the parents is a rare sight. But not for long, though. Two to three weeks from now, the fledging should begin.

Juno, tearing off pieces of meat for her young.

None, approaching me to see if I bring any treats.

//Helena

Visiting biology students

In April/May the annual student visit from the course in Ecology of behaviour/ethology at the Biology Department is scheduled. As it coincides with the breeding season, the timing couldn't be worse, and it's a pity that the student's are not able to observe the ravens' everyday life in the aviaries. This year we managed to postphone the visit a few weeks to not disturb the delicate incubation period, and yesterday two groups of students arrived. Thanks to Kungliga Fysiografiska sällskapet, we now have a brand new lecture hall, and we started off with an introduction of the research conducted here.

Can presenting his project on planning.

Ivo telling the students about his work on physical cognition.

We were a bit unsure of how the ravens would react, and the students got strict instructions to not go near the nests, but the raven parents were happy as long as the students stayed outside the aviaries on the opposite side of the nests.

Blog post 2014.
Blog post 2013.

//Helena

Day 18

It is Day 18 for Rickard and None's chicks and maybe the end of close-ups.
Sharp alarm calls fill my ears as I enter the experiment room with my camera.

Quickly I fire off a few shots, since I have already stirred the parents.

I try a different, safer view - and yes - the chicks have now grown so big that they are visible from outside the aviary.

Siden and Juno have been happy without my camera, and this is as close as I can get. Well, that is not entirely true. When I built their new nestbox, I put a plexi glass in the ceiling, and the ladder is still up...but I am not going to try.

//Helena

Day 12

It is day 12 and the chicks have already started to open little slanted eyes. One cannot help but marvle at the astonishing growth rate.

Out of six eggs, five hatched, or maybe one chick didn't survive the fierce competition.

It is a pity that I have to press the camera button blindly, but the nest is too far up for me to be able to see what I am aming at. And I need to be quick. The parents do not approve of me coming too close - let alone the black enemy in my hands - and Rickard has already started to fluff and make short, sharp alarm calls.

So I retreat to my corner by the door, and None comes up to fill her pouch. Still wary.

//Helena

Food preferences

Every year, it's exciting to witness the feedings of the chicks. And this year I can even watch without binoculars. As I have blogged about before - the small chicks only get high value protein - preferably red meat, chicken, shrimps and eggs. Pork is ignored and also minced meat from ox - mayby they judge by the colour? For the parent's sake we also give some of the usaul stuff, like vitaminized dog kibble and leftovers from our dinners, and as the chicks grow older they get a wider variety of food.

So most of the time, we just hand over big chunks of meat, half chickens and eggs and let the parents do the work. But one manmade thing they DO like is this cottage-cheese-mix.

The cottage cheese is low in fat and rich in proteins, and I add a few eggs, crushed egg shells and some vitamins. Like a parent trying to sneak unwanted wholesome veggies into the food, I also add some grated apple. This is something we learned on a course in wildlife rehabilitation - apple is a good substitute for vitamins for most animals.
I believe that the ravens make the best choices for their young, but it makes me happy to watch the parents efortless scoop up the mixture in their beaks and pouches and fly off to feed their nestlings - without the tiresome job of tearing to pieces or adding saliva and water.

And it looks a bit like ris á la Malta with saffron, doesn't it?

//Helena