The season has come to an end. Many of my pupils are ready to return to the wild. They grew up, got stronger, and those who needed it were quite wild.
Yes, this last moment is of key importance. Unfortunately, often people, wanting to help, take an injured or orphaned chick, and make it absolutely by hand. And this becomes a problem, because such a bird cannot be returned to the wild, even if it is absolutely healthy.
My rule is to minimise contact. Only when it is necessary (for example, if the bird is a bolt and you need to give medicine). The same applies to birds of hand. Living in a large aviary and communicating with their non-hand relatives (usually birds that came to us as adults because of a wing injury), they learn the wisdom of crow life.
Unfortunately, not everyone will return to the wild. In the last photo you see a bird with the consequences of rickets. Yes, it's not an injury, it's a disease. If you start treatment in time, it's fixable. But that's not always the case. A crow with rickets will not be able to survive normally in the wild, so such birds remain to live in an enclosure. Fortunately, they won't be bored, because they have friends here.
