[featheredfriend]

Hello everyone, it's a while since I posted on here but I thought I'd share my Jackdaw story
I noticed him in late spring running about my garden. His right wing was damaged in some way but I could never get near enough to find out how. As he seemed to be coping okay I thought it best to leave him. He was fairly young and after a couple of weeks of seeing me bring food to the various feeders and table he got a bit bolder and waited for me to move away before he dashed out for his food. Later he got bolder and hopped as near as he dare and looked at me expectantly.
His family lived in a neighbour's disused chimney and one morning I drew back the curtains to see one of his parents teaching him how to groom. He watched for a while and then copied. It was a special moment for me to observe. Summer arrived and he had started to try to close his injured wing and was now going higher into the trees and using the branches to come down as we use stairs.
I was beginning to think he would be there for life. However on my birthday I happened to glance out of the window just as he launched himself from a branch. Unfortunately his first attemp didn't work and he hit the lawn with a splat and lay there for minute both wings outstretched looking a bit dazed.
He recovered quite quickly and within the next week was gone.
The family are still around and come for food and I think he's with them as one of them is a little more bedraggled than the others and he takes his time whereas the others grab and quickly fly off.
I think it's him.
I learned a lot about jackdaw behaviour but I thnk the best thing was seeing that his family hadn't deserted him and continued to look after him. Wonderful!