Orphaned Ravens Ready for Release in the Hamptons

Two young ravens, recently placed in the flight cage at the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center (EAWRC), are just a week away from being released back into the wild. Found beneath a water maintenance tower in Riverhead by local resident David DeMarco, the fledglings were in the middle of what’s known as a bird’s “awkward stage,” old enough to leave the nest, but still clumsy, dependent, and not quite ready to fly far.

DeMarco had noticed one of the ravens acting strangely. It wasn’t flying away, and he initially worried it might be seizing. He thought it was the mother, but after he brought in the two ravens, Rose Lynch, animal care assistant at the EAWRC knew immediately it was a baby. “The bright blue eyes and pink around the beak give it away. Otherwise, they already look like adults,” she explains.

It was then confirmed by DeMarco that if that wasn’t the mother, then the parents of the raven had not been around for a while. The fledgling was begging for food, not seizing, and calling out to a mother who wasn’t coming.

“Both ravens were thin, dehydrated, and unusually friendly, likely the result of being stranded for too long. Something must’ve happened,” Lynch says, “A disruption or injury to the parents, maybe. But they were clearly on their own.”

Fledgling ravens typically stay with their parents for about 4 weeks after leaving the nest, learning to hunt and navigate their environment. While these two could eat on their own, they still lacked the skills to survive without guidance.

“They’re about three weeks into their stay with us,” Lynch explains. “We estimate they were a week and a half post-nest when they arrived. The fledgling period slows down in captivity, so we’re giving them a little more time before release.”

The plan is to release them together. “Even though one is more mature, they will figure things out together,” says Lynch. “They challenge each other and build confidence. They understand that they’re ravens, not humans, and that’s key.”

Rehabilitation, especially for highly intelligent birds like ravens, comes with unique challenges. “Ravens are tough,” Lynch admits, “They can habituate to humans fast, especially when they’re alone. If they imprint on us, they’ll struggle in the wild.”

The EAWRC is waiting for the fledglings to fatten up and become more elusive. “When they get harder to catch, that’s when we know they’re ready,” Lynch continues. Their current diet is a buffet of scavenged, donated food frozen including mice, fish scraps, gourmet dog food, grapevines, and just about anything edible. “They’re true scavengers,” Lynch says, “We try to mimic the diet they’d have outside, even if it’s a little gourmet in here.”

“They’ll eat shrimp, clams, mussels, whatever we have,” says Jessica Chiarello, senior animal care technician and hospital supervisor at the EAWRC. “Food’s not easy to come by in the real world, so we are giving them as much as we can.”

Ravens are also highly susceptible to lead poisoning from scavenged game, shot with illegal lead bullets, and to West Nile Virus from mosquito bites, which is only amplified by Long Island’s warming climate.

“The mosquito population is growing, and that affects birds on the ground, like these fledglings,” Lynch explains, “It’s one more reason why their early development is so important.”

Despite these circumstances, the ravens arrived in easily treatable conditions, and “I’m very grateful they’re here,” Lynch says,  “Someone was throwing rocks at one of them because it wasn’t flying away. People don’t realize fledglings are supposed to be on the ground. That’s how they learn.”

“Seeing them at this stage is so special,” Chiarello adds. “They don’t act like other birds. They have these goofy personalities. You can already see who they are.”

The ravens were moved to an outdoor enclosure to give them room to stretch their wings, and to keep the noise level down. “They’re loud,” Chiarello laughs. “And they mimic other birds. But it’s good stimulation for them.”

Kathleen Mulcahy, Executive Director of the EAWRC, says. “They really are intelligent. I rescued one last summer. While I was helping him, his friends were dive-bombing me because they thought I might have been a threat. They’re fiercely loyal to each other.”

Soon, these two will be back in the skies after being given a second chance to grow up on their own terms. Although in this case, the ravens had lost their parents and needed aid, many people bring in fledglings by mistake. During this season, many young birds will be on the ground, trying to fly for days, or in these ravens’ case, weeks. Unless they are showing clear signs of distress, let them be, they are learning to navigate the environment around them.

The Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center is located at 228 West Montauk Highway, Hampton Bays. It can be reached at 631-728-4200, and animal emergencies can be reported at 631-728-WILD (9453). The center is open 9 a.m.–5 p.m. seven days a week. Visit wildliferescuecenter.org for more information.