A Canadian lumberjack has taught the crows he rescued how to enjoy a true lumberjack activity – logrolling!
Darren Hudson is a logrolling champion who lives in Barrington, Nova Scotia. He puts his skills on display at his theme park, the Wild Axe Lumberjack AXEperience, where he’s taught many people how to logroll.
He figured the crows might enjoy the activity too and it turns out he was right! He told CBC Radio’s As It Happens that he actually didn’t have to teach them, they followed him onto the logs and picked up what to do from watching him doing it.
Hudson shared a video on YouTube showing off the birds’ skills writing: “logrolling crows Vic and River show us how it’s done using the power of their wings and those grippy feet!”
The crows are free to fly away any time, but it turns out they really enjoy doing it. Hudson says that they get their tail feathers a bit wet (as you can see in the video) and when they do, he gives them time to get back on top. But when the crows notice he’s stopped he says they “look around and they’re like, ‘OK, roll again.'”
He also says the crows have a natural advantage in logrolling over him, telling the radio host Carol Off, “…They’re cheating a little bit because they have spiked feet, so [their] little claws help them to grip right up there.”
The two crows literally “dropped” into Hudson’s life after he was topping some trees and they accidentally fell out.
He was very upset that he had disturbed their home so for two days he left the babies nearby, hoping the parents would return to claim them. But when they didn’t, Hudson took one chick to a friend who rehabilitates animals and took the other two – named Vic and River – home with him.
In addition to logrolling, Vic and River enjoy going canoeing with Hudson too. He tells Off the two birds are “so inquisitive and such a joy” but that they are wild birds and free to leave any time to return to the wild as he has no plans on keeping them. “Now, whether they hang around and continue on this journey, it’s up to them, 100 per cent. And I just appreciate these moments while they last.”
You can read and listen to more of Hudson’s story at CBC’s website here.
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