Girdie the Crow hops and squawks at the Gerrish Library

By Hannah Dillon

TNews Associate Editor

An Anchorage rehabilitation program, Bird Treatment and Learning Center – also known as Bird TLC – held an hour-long session to educate locals on crows at the Gerrish Library in Girdwood on June 26.

Bird TLC Rehabilitation and Education Specialist Maggie McConkey and Education Program Coordinator Mary Mercier brought an injured crow named Girdie to the library to teach the audience about crows and answer any questions. 

Girdie got her name as she was found injured on a road in Girdwood. This piqued the interest of Bird TLC after she was brought to their clinic as crows are not normally seen in interior parts of Alaska. McConkey said crows are mostly coastal birds – which meant Girdie could have come from Whittier and was injured before making it back home.

The library was quickly filled with a small audience of interested children and adults who wanted to know more about Girdie.

McConkey and Mercier set up a table with a tiered artificial grass pad and a water bowl. A small pet carrier painted in various hues of pink, purple and blue sat behind the educators, creating an anticipatory audience. 

Girdie was released onto the table and she began to hop up and down her tiered grass stand while squawking for immediate treats. 

Watching Girdie bounce around, McConkey noted she looked a little different than most healthy crows because of a broken wing and a hectic molting season, leaving Girdie with no tail feathers during her rehabilitation. 

Girdie the crow receives treats at Gerrish Library. (Photo taken by Hannah Dillon)

McConkey said Girdie “is a very busy lady” as she travels around Alaska educating people on the day-to-day life of a crow since her injury. Girdie is an Ambassador Bird at TLC and is “roommates” with Shavila the magpie.

Girdie has different calls that can be produced on command with an enticing treat and a hand signal. Some of Girdie’s favorite treats include dried worms, blueberries and rats – with a passion for cheese. 

Girdie flaunted her feathers across the table and used an alarm call to alarm McConkey how much she wanted a dried worm for her vocal prowess. Girdie had difficulty creating other calls with her focus on treats but after a few moderate servings, she began to purr in content. 

As the hour went by, many questions were asked and answered after a short lecture. One of the most interesting facts about crows that McConkey shared was their ability to recognize human faces and the corvid’s own reflection.

Crows and ravens are able to recognize people and the homes they reside in that have been kind or not-so-friendly. Somehow, a human’s reputation will be passed onto the next generation of crows. 

The next generation of crows from one nest can range between one to six eggs annually, depending on available resources.

In total, there are eight Ambassador Birds at Bird TLC. These birds are Girdie the crow, Shavila the black-billed magpie, Kenriiq the short-eared owl, Breland the peregrine falcon, Culuk the bald eagle, Denali the golden eagle, Qanaxsix the bald eagle and Ghost the snowy owl.

McConkey said Breland and Ghost are available for an Ambassador Bird Experience. According to the Bird TLC website, booking the experience allows the public to assist trainers in training the Ambassador Bird while learning about their history. 

If an injured or abandoned bird is found, contact 907-562-4852 or take the bird to Bird TLC located on 15510 Old Seward Hwy. If the bird appears to be sick or deceased, do not handle it – call the Alaska Sick or Dead Bird Hotline at 1-866-527-3358.