By Sarah Toce
There’s something adorably entertaining happening right now over at Sit N’Stay Pet Sitting in Burien – and it involves some black-clawed flying creatures – CROWS!
This licensed, bonded and insured Burien-based business, owned by Brittany Shelton, is going to the birds – and her friends and followers on social media have a front row seat.
It all started on May 19, 2020 when Shelton found a Nestling Crow that had fallen out of its nest into her RV yard. She named him Raven and cared for him under the watchful eyes of his parents, who ultimately allowed him to flourish under Shelton’s care via a hanging plant basket attached to a tree.
Shelton shared on Instagram, “He’s recognizing us, eager to eat and making his caw noises! We swear he even shook his little tail feathers with joy today!” She added, “His mom and dad stay close and seem to approve of our efforts!”
View this post on InstagramWe found a Nestling Crow yesterday that fell out of his nest into our RV yard. We’ve been caring for him and, after his Mom and Dad realized we weren’t going to harm him, they’ve been watching us. We didn’t have a safe place to put him close to where he fell so, we constructed a nest in a hanging plant basket and placed it in the tree. He’s recognizing us, eager to eat and making his caw noises! We swear he even shook his little tail feathers with joy today! He’s enjoyed some mash, mealworms, earthworms and boiled egg! We’ve named him Raven and will keep him safe until he’s ready to fly! His mom and dad stay close and seem to approve of our efforts!
A few days later, on May 22, 2020, Shelton shared, “He’s doing really well! Yesterday, I got him a couple bigger nests so he can move around more. He seemed to like the new setup. But, he needs to be able to stretch his little bird legs and walk around. So, when I get home today, we are going to set up a big box for him in the yard like a playpen that way he can hang in there during the day then, return to his hanging basket in the tree at night to keep him safe from predators. He acted pretty excited and said maybe his parents could visit him in the box. I told him I know they will! They are liking our ‘crow-parenting’ situation.”
View this post on InstagramDay 4 and Raven says ” Good Morning! Feed me! Caw!” He’s doing really well! Yesterday, I got him a couple bigger nests so he can move around more. He seemed to like the new setup. But, he needs to be able to stretch his little bird legs and walk around. So, when I get home today, we are going to set up a big box for him in the yard like a playpen that way he can hang in there during the day then, return to his hanging basket in the tree at night to keep him safe from predators. He acted pretty excited and said maybe his parents could visit him in the box. I told him I know they will! They are liking our “crow-parenting” situation
Shelton continued her crow-parenting success with Raven on May 24, 2020 where she wrote, “Raven made his first big ‘hop’ onto my knee and he also worked on getting his balance and gaining confidence in a perched position.”
Shelton said she noticed that body language was a large factor in Raven’s communication. “For instance, he gets yard time each feeding and he will listen intently to his family caw cawing above. He’ll stretch out his little neck, his feet will do a quick tippy tap, then he’ll propel himself forward in a hop as if he’s about to take flight. It seems they are cheering him on, as are we.” She continued, “My hope is that he will be a bilingual freebird.”
“This is such a cool journey we’re taking with him right now and I’ve got to wonder about [its] significance,” she continued. “I believe paths are crossed for a reason. Might break out the Tarot cards tonight and see if anything comes to light. Can’t wait to see what unfolds with him tomorrow!”
View this post on InstagramDay 6 Ohhhmy! We had big progress today! Raven made his first big “hop” onto my knee and he also worked on getting his balance and gaining confidence in a perched position. He used his feet to transfer from my hand to Barry’s and vice versa. He also made his very first CAW! in big boy tone! Raven’s family is getting closer and hung out in the tree right above us while we fed him and he practiced his bird stuff (see last pic). We’re noticing so much about his body language and ways of communicating. For instance, he gets yard time each feeding and he will listen intently to his family cawcawing above. He’ll stretch out his little neck, his feet will do a quick tippy tap, then he’ll propel himself forward in a hop as if he’s about to take flight. It seems they are cheering him on, as are we. He also is quite demonstrative when he’s had enough food. He’ll turn his head away in an almost sassy way. I sat with him a good amount of time this morning talking to him and ruminating on what a huge experience this is. He’s so engaged! Most people will never get to foster this type of an interaction and, dare I say, bond with a wild animal. I’m drinking in every moment trying to balance between doting on him and also making sure he stays in tune with his avian heritage. My hope is that he will be a bilingual freebird if you’ve been following my IG for a while, you know I’ve had other crazy wildlife encounters, and many with crows. This is such a cool journey we’re taking with him right now and I’ve got to wonder about it’s significance. I believe paths are crossed for a reason. Might break out the Tarot cards tonight and see if anything comes to light. Can’t wait to see what unfolds with him tomorrow!
Trust us, we want to hear what the Tarot cards said, too! In the meantime, this crow’s journey continued on May 25, 2020 with Shelton.
“It’s amazing how intuitive animals are. I’ve been a little sad today and, not only have my dogs tried to help me feel better, so has this little guy,” Shelton wrote. “He looks up at me and makes the slightest little coos while I talk to him like he understands human hardships. His family has been hanging out on the fence and the neighboring roof. When I arrived home from seeing clients this am they didn’t fly off immediately, either. They must be getting used to our routines.”
She added, “One of my clients gave me a large, galvanized bucket today to put him in. It’s wide and will provide him ample room to move about. Also, it’s a bit deeper so I don’t stay up at night worried he’s unintentionally leapt out of his nest and fallen to the ground. Yes….that thought has kept me awake with worry the past several nights.”
View this post on InstagramDay 7 It rained a lot today but Raven didn’t mind. It’s amazing how intuitive animals are. I’ve been a little sad today and, not only have my dogs tried to help me feel better, so has this little guy. He looks up at me and makes the slightest little coos while I talk to him like he understands human hardships His family has been hanging out on the fence and the neighboring roof. When I arrived home from seeing clients this am they didn’t fly off immediately, either. They must be getting used to our routines. One of my clients gave me a large, galvanized bucket today to put him in. It’s wide and will provide him ample room to move about. Also, it’s a bit deeper so I don’t stay up at night worried he’s unintentionally leapt out of his nest and fallen to the ground. Yes….that thought has kept me awake with worry the past several nights. He has started nuzzling, working his way up to the nape of my neck or settling in on my chest. He’s getting pretty confident with his ability to balance and hop! Crazy how much love we have for him already! Hoping for a nicer day tomorrow so he can have more exploration time in the yard.
Raven soon started to forage for his own food – a huge milestone.
“Raven had a big day of firsts! His initial big victory came when he began slightly pecking at the ground and the he picked up the tiniest pinecone with his mouth! This shows he’s starting to learn to forage!” Shelton wrote. “Then, later in the afternoon, I decided to sit on a large rock across the yard so he would have to walk over to me. He made quick progress before he was faced with a bag of soil as an obstacle. I clicked, and before I knew it, he had hopped on the bag and used his wings for balance. Then, he came to me at the rock and I could see him psyching himself up for this, the biggest of all leaps he’s made. He rocked back and forth, stretch out his little neck out, stood up tall and HOP! He cleared it and he puffed out his little chest while we clapped for him like he knew he just did something very cool!”
View this post on InstagramDay 8 I woke up early this morning eager to see how Raven liked his new nest setup. He greeted me, mouth agape, ready to eat! He hadn’t pottied in his nest , which was nice and tells me he likely had a restful sleep. Mom (or dad) watched his morning feeding intently without even a peep and I’m hoping that means they feel I need less guidance in his care Raven had a big day of firsts! His initial big victory came when he began slightly pecking at the ground and the he picked up the tiniest pinecone with his mouth! This shows he’s starting to learn to forage! Then, later in the afternoon, I decided to sit on a large rock across the yardso he would have to walk over to me. He made quick progress before he was faced with a bag of soil as an obstacle. I clicked, and before I knew it, he had hopped on the bag and used his wings for balance. Then, he came to me at the rock and I could see him psyching himself up for this, the biggest of all leaps he’s made. He rocked back and forth, stretch out his little neck out, stood up tall and HOP! He cleared it and he puffed out his little chest while we clapped for him like he knew he just did something very cool! I’ve been clicking to train him, much Iike I do for dogs and horses. He’s picking up that six quick clicks mean for him to “come”. I’ve been using this to encourage him and also calling out what he’s doing when he does it (like “hop” or “ready to eat”) so he begins to learn word association and phrases. While we sat on the rock and were talking, I was mentioning to him I hadn’t seen much of his crow posse since this morning when, out of the blue, the three of them came swooping in Cawing up a storm. (You can see this in the video on FB) His little head cocked side to side and my heart sang. I love that his family is staying near and I hope we’re doing them proud in our care for him!
Apparently birds “pant” in the sun just like other animals, something Shelton had no idea about before meeting Raven.
“I quickly googled it and discovered he was a little too hot which, makes sense, due to our increased temps,” she wrote on May 27, 2020. “So, I soaked a shredded t-shirt and draped it over him, then tucked him back under the canopy of the tree.”
She added, “It’s so beautiful watching his personality develop and exploring all his firsts. Tomorrow, I’m going to try to set him up a little bird bath. Can’t wait to see what adventures unfold!”
View this post on InstagramDay 9 Eek I’m late on posting an update tonight! I’ll make another post with a video showing how Raven felt about my tardiness today (que bird tantrum). Well, it seems like everyday I learn something new in birdland…today’s tidbit: birds “pant”. Raven freaked the shit out of me this afternoon as he meandered the yard with his mouth hung open as if in a perpetual quest for food. I quickly googled it and discovered he was a little too hot which, makes sense, due to our increased temps. So, I soaked a shredded tshirt and draped it over him, then tucked him back under the canopy of the tree. Then, this evening, we had to run to Lowe’s to pick up some finishing items for the contractors (we’re undergoing and addition and full home renovation). Needless to say, we were gone longer than expected and Raven missed a feeding. When we returned, we immediately went to feed him and Baby Boy threw a full on tantrum. We’d bought him suet with berries and I hoped it would be a peace offering. While he gobbled it up, he showed his disdain for our absence and actually spit out what I was trying to feed him in protest. You can see in the video how obstinate he’s being He also got a good beak wipe down and seemed to really relish his duck paté that he ate for the morning. It’s so beautiful watching his personality develop and exploring all his firsts. Tomorrow, I’m going to try to set him up a little bird bath. Can’t wait to see what adventures unfold! #raventhecrow #corvid #babycrow #rescuebird
Raven, ever the child, threw a little tantrum next. He also enjoyed his first-ever human-made bird bath. “He dipped his beak in and splashed about, turning around and, occasionally, losing his footing on the slick plate. I let him play until he was done, then he hopped out on his own and shook his body from the top of his beak to the last tail feather,” she wrote.
View this post on InstagramRaven throws a tantrum
View this post on InstagramDay 10 *videos in comments and posted separately* Splish, splash! He took his first bath! I was astonished this morning when I saw Raven and noticed how many of his big boy feathers had bloomed overnight! Longer feathers means accidental dragging through his so, little man needed a bath today. When I got home from work, I set him up with a turkey saucer and filled it with water. He’s been getting wipes down with a cloth so I was super excited to see how he liked it! I set him in and he took to it like a duck! He dipped his beak in and splashed about, turning around and, occasionally, loosing his footing on the slick plate. I let him play until he was done, then he hopped out on his own and shook his body from the top of his beak to the last tail feather. He looks around THEN hopped back to his bath and took his first sips of water on his own!! Omg it was so amazing to see him use his little tongue! I settled him back into his nest to nap and reveled in his new abilities. Just when I thought the day couldn’t get more awesome, I returned an hour later to feed him and he was perched ON TOP OF HIS NESTING BASKET! Holy shit, Raven! I’m excited he used his legs to jump so high and at the same time rushing over to catch him should he lose his balance. He must have sensed my fear because he started flapping away, showing off with his mouth open, begging to be fed. He’s such a character! He’s started doing this funny thing every evening where he balances (awkwardly) on my hand, walks up to my shoulder and nuzzles. He only does this in the evenings and I like to think he’s showing affection for the care he’s getting. We sure do love him! I added some foil strips to his basket handle and hope he likes them. As we move back into the house, I’m sure I’ll find my Mardis Gras beads. But, for now, foil it is. Tommorow holds a whole host of firsts and we can’t wait to share them with you! #raventhecrow #corvid #rescuebird #babycrow
Raven began roaming the RV yard more independently on May 28, 2020 and became obsessed with his independence. So much so, he even took his own bath without coaxing!
“Last night, he leapt out of his nest as I was putting him to bed,” Shelton posted. “After a stern talking to, and letting him know it was time for beddie bye, he was tucked back in.”
View this post on InstagramDay 11 I’m late again because… joys of renovations! Raven had a great day! Last night, he leapt out of his nest as I was putting him to bed. After a stern talking to, and letting him know it was time for beddie bye, he was tucked back in. This morning, he was super antsy and, I thought to myself, I have to let him out of his nest for longer periods of time than he gets during his feedings. So, with that, I reconciled to let him have free roam of the RV yard. I double checked for any areas he could get under the fence, gave him fresh “bath” water and made sure Barry understood no dogs in the RV yard and all gates must remain closed. With that, I left him in his daddy’s care and went to work…. Crying the whole way to my first client. When I returned home, he was perched on his rock and, upon seeing me, his mouth sprung open, ready to eat! Barry said he also noticed his mom hanging around which was the hope given he was having more yard time and less time in the tree. That made me happy! I even caught him taking a bath on his own!He is finishing out the day with his newfound freedom and soon, at sundown and after a final meal, I’ll tuck my independent boy into bed eager t
