The Klockwork Raven

I decided some time ago that I wanted to try and do some blogging.  I have been going back and forth on whether I want to type out my thoughts or whether I wanted to attempt a video blog.  Honestly, there this isn’t an either or  type of thing, so I am going to do both.

As I write, I am being helped by a young guest in my house.  I have been rehabbing an injured baby crow for the past couple of weeks.  Loki the crow came home with me one early evening after taking my European Eagle Owl to the vet.  There is a local Bird of Prey rescue I will help out now and again especially when there is an injured bird in my local area. So on my way home I got a call about a baby crow in trouble.  I picked the poor thing up and he (no I don’t actually know that it is a he) was in a bad state.  He was extremely thin and definitely dehydrated.  It took a week to get him to the point he was starting to show his curiosity.

I didn’t really know about baby crows.  I simply did what I do for any baby or injured bird that has come to me.  The crow that sits on my shoulder is much more lively than the baby I first picked up. He is extremely cheeky.  He loves to sit on my arm and try to remove my tattoo, he chases my poor dog around the garden, he pecks my ear cuff.  But being with a bird with this much intelligence is a challenge.  He has a one track mind and  he is determined.  I never thought of myself as a bird person, but having 3 owls in my family and the occasional wild visitor, I guess I am becoming a bird person.

My original totem animal was the snowy owl.  I was hooked on owls since I was a kid. I never saw an owl when I lived in New Jersey.  It wasn’t until I moved here to Britain that I was able to get up close and personal to Birds of Prey.  I worked as a volunteer at an Owl Sanctuary and I grew in admiration for these wonderful birds as I got to work with them.

I also realised that I wanted to learn to fly one.  I was in a better state physically then.  The second thing I realised was that having an owl was a big commitment. I felt having an owl let me off from having to take the bird hunting.  I have never been someone who liked the idea of hunting.  I am too much of an animal lover.  So that also let me off having a Snowy Owl, my totem.  This is a bird that really needs to be allowed to hunt and worked in order to keep them from becoming difficult.

My second totem is the Raven. Chances are pretty low I will ever have the privilege of having a Raven. Just having Loki the Crow is a challenge enough for now.