The Wellesley Science Center has been the perfect place to raise a family for the last few years for ravens Pauline and Henry, who this year returned for a fourth consecutive year. Unfortunately, on a sunny Monday, March 13, before 8:30am, Henry flew into a window and died from his resulting injuries, Wellelsey College Professor of Biological Sciences Nicholas Rodenhouse has confirmed.
This puts Pauline in a challenging situation. She is incubating four eggs, and Henry was her source of food support. According to Rodenhouse, “Pauline has been able to sustain herself to this point. Where she finds food near the nest is unknown. She is rarely off the nest for more than 6 minutes on cold days — and most recent days have been cold. Henry did feed her on the nest.”
Pauline and Henry probably chose the campus in the first place for its cliff-like buildings in a productive landscape. The Science Center, surrounded by shrubs and trees, sits along an open, sometimes damp, meadow. The nest is high up in a partially glass-enclosed fire escape on the sunny side of the building from where they can see Galen Stone Tower, Houghton Chapel, more trees and open spaces, and Lake Waban. In the past, the glass hasn’t been a problem for either bird.
Whether the college will step in and help out Pauline or let nature run its course is undecided at this time. Rodenhouse is continuing to contact those who might be able to provide useful information about the options. In the meantime, the ravencam has been turned off, and there are no plans to turn the camera back on for public viewing. In past years, a 24/7 video recording of the nest made over the course of the spring nesting has provided a unique cache of data for researchers.
Rodenhouse says that “multiple meetings will be held in the coming weeks to determine what can be done on campus to protect birds from window collisions. Please encourage your community to consider taking action in their homes and communities.”
According to the Mass Audubon website, birds fly into windows because they don’t understand the concept of reflection. When they attempt to fly into the landscape they see in a reflection (such as tree branches and leaves), they strike the barrier they can’t see. In addition, a bird being pursued by a predator will sometimes fly into a window.
What you can do to help
Mass Audubon offers the following suggestions for preventing bird/window crashes:
- Go outside near your feeders and look at your windows from a bird’s point of view. If you see branches or sky reflected in or through the glass, that’s what the birds will see, too.
- You can use any decals or stickers that are at least 6 inches in diameter to alert birds that they’re in an unsafe flying zone. Make sure to place several on the outside of the window, one foot apart, both horizontally and vertically. Some decals contain a component that brilliantly reflects ultraviolet sunlight. When placed on the outside of the window, this ultraviolet light is invisible to humans, but glows brilliantly for songbirds.
- Provide an impact-absorbing barrier. You can cover windows with screen that affixes to the glass using hooks or suction cups. This reduces the reflection and prevents injury by cushioning the bird if it inadvertently flies toward the window. It also prevents territorial birds from attacking their reflection in the glass.
- If a bird does hit your window, you can try helping it out. When a bird hits a window, swelling in the brain may temporarily incapacitate it. If there are cats or other predators nearby, place the bird in an enclosed box or under a colander to keep it safe.
- Handle the bird as little as possible and do not attempt to give it food or water. As the swelling subsides and the bird becomes more active, you may release it. If the bird doesn’t recover, you’ll need to enlist the help of an expert.
Please help Pauline.. I have become very close to her and Henry and my heart is broken by this tragedy.. she needs food and it seems like you could leave it near her so she and the babies will survive.. my heart is so sad for Pauline and I hope we all get an update soon.. Thank you
Please leave some appropriate food close enough as to help Pauline forage without extended absences from the nest, and far enough not to attract unwanted attention to the nest. It would ease the pain a little if at least a few of these eggs were to hatch and the chicks were to fledge and grow up.
hello!
I want to help Pauine, so i will tell you what this school can do. I was talking with Bird-Experts from Russia, they know what to do in such situations.
First of all, it is really important that the babies get enough to eat in the first two weeks. Pauline is not going to be able to find it, so you have to buy, prepare and place it in the near it of the nest.
Those birds are ravens, so you have be sure that you have to prepare meat. The best way to feed the babies is to give them meat from mice (mice that also used for feeding of birds), rabbits and rats. For the preparing you need to remove the skin and bones. If not, it will take to much time for Pauline. It is a very important step because the babies will not be able to eat it or die of the skin or bones.
Please place it in the near of the nest, so Pauline can find it easily.
Greetings from Germany
If you questions, let me know it. I will help you
I also hope we will hear an update on how Pauline is doing. All of us viewers are grieving for Henry and this has been an unrelenting March, with high winds, snow storms and bitterly cold days and nights. I would love to know what is happening, good or bad. If she has abandoned the nest to survive herself, or if any intervention is going on, how many eggs there are right now, etc. Wishing the best for Pauline and hope somehow she breaks tradition (ravens mate for life) and finds a new mate, even if it is not this year, and that she or perhaps one of her offspring return to the campus in future years with successful clutches!
Thank you all for your comments and concerns about Pauline. I will contact Wellesley College soon and write an update post.
Thank you Deborah Brown for your article and your kindness. What a beautiful college you have.
This is a very sad event, because Pauline and Henry have been a shining corner of life in a world of tragedies! Rest in peace, Henry. Best of luck to a single mother, Pauline. Sad Jaime of Florida
Yes, please assist Pauline, humans would be taking the role of “helper daughter” that I have seen with crows in our area. They have given us so much, now it’s time to give back! I think until Pauline finds a new mate, it’s the right thing to do to leave appropriate food in the area. (My family are Ravencam donors, not students.)
Can anyone that goes to the school or knows how Pauline is doing reply under my post. Wellesley is a beautiful college and the community on campus seems so lovely. If I were going to go to college this would be the place. The reviews of this college are great. Please can someone update us on Pauline and her eggs? I am very sorry about Henry I am in the Wellesley College Raven Cam group. I am absolutely shattered at the loss as hundreds in my group are. Please excuse my grammer. I hope with all I have Pauline is getting human intervention with food. Pauline in very depressed now and much more then likely very confused. I know about nature taking its course but this does not apply here. Pauline needs human help. Please leave a reply here if you know how Pauline is, even if you just see her. Pauline and Henry picked your collage for a reason. Ravens are brilliant Pauline and Henry knew and trusted Wellesley. Also many thanks for publishing this (I hope) XX
Please help Pauline out. It’s not that hard to find out what ravens really truly can thrive on for food. Please help her to raise the family
Please, please assist Pauline in some nourishment. Is it down to 4 eggs I saw 6. Once again ravens are known scavengers leaving something nearby is the right thing to do.