The crows in the care of the Blue Highlands bird rescue centre can’t really carry a tune, but you can tell the act of “playing” a xylophone really makes a difference for our feathered friends.
Every bird taken under the wings of the Brora facility gets special customised care.
But perhaps none more so than those of the corvid family, which includes crows, ravens and jackdaws.
These species, much like children, need an ever-changing supply of different toys to play with to sate their natural curiosity while they’re recovering from all sorts of ordeals.
Broken wings, beaks, and worse can mean weeks on end stuck in the centre while they get strong enough to be released.
Here’s why the rescue centre’s founding director, Lady Hadassah Broscova-Suranac, is appealing for donations of more toys, and how you can help.
Why do the crows need toys to play with anyway?
“We have a whole little box labelled corvid toys,” says Hadassah.
“Corvid toys tend to be made out of plastic or rubber, something we can sanitise, because corvids are just mucky by nature and they tend to make bigger messes.”
She encourages supporters send them anything “shiny that can’t be broken” for the avian guests at the centre to play with.
By keeping their bird brains engaged with playthings, from xylophones to skateboards, they can keep their minds sharp and ready for their return to nature where they belong.
“And we need to rotate them, just like you do with children, otherwise they get bored,” says Hadassah.
And you don’t want a bored crow on your hands.
“Good heavens, when they get bored, they do bad things,” she laughs.
But because they tire of their toys so easily, the centre is always in need of new donations.
The most suitable, she says, are new ones designed for toddlers or dogs.
“But the best ones are puzzles, they love puzzles,” she says.
“Their brains are so advanced, and they just love to figure out how to get a treat out of any given toy.”
Toys not just for the bird’s brains, but they can help assess recovery from injury
Birds in the care of Blue Highlands are sometimes so injured, they require surgery to make sure they’ll be able to survive once returned to the wild.
This can include the reconstruction or repair of broken beaks, like the new one they built for this crow named Glory.
By making sure the birds have toys to test out their new and improved beaks with, like the xylophone for pecking out tunes, Hadassah can ensure they’re working as intended and their owners will have the best chances back in nature where they belong.
If you want to support Blue Highlands, you can donate money here, and if you have toys for the crows you’d like to send them, you can email the charity at bluehighlands@gmail.com, or get in touch on Facebook.
New toys are best.
Find out more about Lady Hadassah, and her unusual title of Countess here.
Conversation