I think Mangled Foot died the first week of August 2009. This photo was taken the last time I saw her.
The last time I saw Mangled Foot was the morning of August 1, 2009 when I visited her before going to Anchorage to see my son for nearly a week. I watched her take a peanut into the road and sit on the yellow center line dividing the lanes to break open the shell. I felt a wave of fear for her that she might get hit by a car. The first or second time I returned to the campground after I returned from Anchorage there was a dead crow near the side of the road which had clearly been run over. I thought the beak appeared pink inside not from blood so believe it was one of the newly fledged.
I have not seen Mangled Foot even once since I returned from Anchorage. She normally comes when I call her name except for when she is sitting on her nest - usually in June. Maxi Gap has had a second group of babies so it is possible Mangled Foot has also, but even Maxi gap comes out to get some food. Sometimes I feel certain Mangled Foot has died and other times I still hope to see her.
I feel very sad to think she is gone and I will never see her again. It will bother me not knowing what happened, but maybe that is a blessing. Sometimes I think I see Bully Boy , but I am never sure since part of identifying him was his proximity to and interactions with Mangled Foot.
White band has been feeding several newly fledged crows and White/Red-White/Silver no longer has a mate so he must have died. He looked old last summer. A crow with only a silver band has appeared but does not look as large as Silver and I believe the original " Silver Houdini" was the one who died. I have been unable to get close enough to photograph this ones metal band number . There is also a crow with only a yellow and a silver band, but it is not the one who was so friendly and curious that I called "Yellow" last summer. I am certain that one has died as it showed up with a broken foot last Fall and I havent seen it at all this Spring or Summer. Many of the banded crows have disappeared Read more!
