Teaching Flute to Fly
A Volunteer’s Story with a Resilient Raven Photo by Chloe Willows
Lyn Windram has been a volunteer at the Mandurah Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre for four years. When she began, she knew very little about wildlife but her dedication and curiosity have led to many memorable moments, and knowledge at the centre in particular, her experience with a young raven named Flute.
‘When Flute came in, she was just a fledgling, and had the most beautiful blue eyes’ Lyn shared. ‘She had feathers, but you could tell she hadn’t been taught anything by her parents—how to eat, how to fly. Honestly, I don’t even think she knew she was a bird.’
Flute had been found malnourished and frightened, lacking the basic instincts ravens need to survive. It was up to Lyn and her team to teach her the skills she should have learned from her parents. Her name was given to her by Lyn and her team to differentiate between another raven in care though they never call her by name directly to prevent humanising her.
A Crash Course in Survival
‘We started by keeping her in a warm ICU box,’ Lyn explained. ‘She was so thin and dehydrated, we had to teach her how to eat and drink. At first, we hand-fed her tiny meatballs (a special nutritious mix), holding them up to her beak until she figured out that opening her mouth meant food. It was slow progress. We’d drop food on the ground for her, and she’d just stare at it, unsure what to do.’ Eventually, after a lot of repetition, she started picking it up herself.
Over time, Flute’s confidence grew. ‘You could see her thinking, ‘Did I just do that?’ when she managed to eat on her own,’ Lyn smiled. ‘Once she got the hang of it, we moved on to teaching her to drink water and forage for food.’
Learning to Fly
Flute’s journey didn’t stop at learning to eat. ‘We discovered she was scared of heights,’ Lyn said. ‘Most birds learn to fly by jumping from branch to branch under their parents’ guidance, but Flute never had that. She would cling to the side of her aviary, too afraid to move.’
Lyn and the team devised a plan to help Flute overcome her fear. ‘We set up branches at a height she was comfortable with and placed food bowls at each end. She started running across the branches to get to the food. Gradually, we added branches at different levels and distances, encouraging her to leap from one to another. One day she was behind us hanging onto the aviary and then all of a sudden she took off and landed on the first branch but because she didn't get that first go up it was just two flaps and then on a branch, she was like ‘oh did i just do that.’ It was just two flaps, but it was a huge milestone.
Preparing for Release
As Flute gained strength and confidence, the team moved her to a flight aviary where she could practice flying and interacting with other ravens. ‘It’s a delicate process,’ Lyn explained. ‘We have to teach them how to forage for food and avoid over-humanising them.’ That means different people feed them to prevent them from bonding with just one person. They need to learn to be wary of humans and rely on their instincts.
‘we have to be very careful when we release her as she hasn't formed any family group and we wont do that straight away, we will wait for another raven or a couple to come in and we will put them both together in aviaries. Flute will be flying by then and we put the raves next to each other as they observe each other all the time and they form bonds.’
The final step in Flute’s rehabilitation will be introducing her to other ravens to form a social group. ‘Ravens are incredibly intelligent and social animals,’ Lyn said. ‘They mourn their losses, form lifelong partnerships, and teach each other survival skills. When we pair her with another raven, they’ll bond and help each other adapt to life in the wild.’
A Rewarding Journey
For Lyn, watching Flute’s transformation has been a profound experience. “I love figuring out why they do what they do and how we can replicate what their parents would have taught them,” she said. ‘Flute has come so far, and it’s been incredible to be part of her journey.’ Soon, she’ll be ready to return to the wild, confident and equipped to thrive.
Flute’s story is a testament to the dedication of volunteers like Lyn, who work tirelessly to give wildlife a second chance. At the Mandurah Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, every animal matters, and every success story inspires hope for the future.
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