A kind-hearted couple opened their home to dozens of injured birds in need of care. Kitty Faughey and Terrianne McGrath have set up a sanctuary at their home in Haydock for corvids – members of the crow family.
There are many species of corvid each with a distinctive appearance. As well as crows Kitty and Terrianne take in rooks, magpies, jackdaws and jays. They also have eight parrots who live in their conservatory.
It all started two years ago with the arrival of an injured magpie named Penny. Someone posted a message on a Facebook group saying they had found a seriously-injured bird and didn’t know what to do with it. Speaking to the ECHO, Kitty said: “Birds have only got a small supply of blood. We knew a bleeding bird was dangerous so we offered to take her in.”
The couple tended Penny’s wounds, “wrapped her up like a burrito” then let her sleep for a few hours. Overnight, her condition improved and they took her to a wildlife-friendly vet. Penny’s feet had to be amputated and now she has learned to walk on her stumps.
From this sad situation, Penny’s Place Sanctuary was born. Today, Kitty and Terrianne have more than 100 birds in the aviary in their back garden.
“We took a couple more in to pal up with Penny,” said Kitty. “Then breeding season started and we had lots of fledglings come in. Now we’ve got five aviaries.” They treat birds with a variety of problems ranging from broken wings to head injuries.
According to Kitty, corvids are a bit like cats and dogs in that they each have their own personality. “They’re all different,” she said. “Crows are very independent creatures while rooks and jackdaws are very social and flock together all year round.
“Some are chatterboxes who are really vocal. Penny never chirps – very rarely have we heard her say anything – but Sharon [another magpie] will sit on Terrianne’s shoulder and chatter away to her. She bathes herself too – with the others we have to wash them and blowdry them individually.”
In the wild, corvids mate for life and, ordinarily, you will see magpies in pairs. Hence, a lone magpie is truly a sorrowful sight. Corvids are known for their intelligence. They have demonstrated self-awareness in mirror tests and some are able to make tools – skills which scientists previously thought were only possessed by humans and certain apes.
One crow was observed cracking nuts by placing them on a pedestrian crossing, letting passing cars crack the shell, waiting for the light to turn red, and then safely retrieving the contents.
Corvids are omnivores and their diets contain a lot of meat. At the sanctuary, Kitty and Terrianne feed their patients chicken hearts, mealworms, raw mince and hens’ eggs. Each month, they spend a significant sum of money feeding the birds. It is truly a labour of love.
Now, the sanctuary has reached capacity and they couple are hoping to expand. They are looking for support from the community and hoping to bring in some volunteers to support their work. If you are interested in volunteering at the sanctuary, or you would like to find out more about Penny’s Place, please email pennysplacecorvid@gmail.com.