Sudbury resident believes tree containing baby ravens was intentionally cut down
City of Greater Sudbury, MNRF both looking into situation
Anne Bélanger had made it a habit to look up and spot the raven's nest as she drove past a large white poplar on Graham Road.
The tree stood near the entrance of Centennial Park campground in Whitefish.
When she drove past the same spot last Thursday, however, she noticed something disturbing.
"As I get closer, I'm like 'Oh my God, the tree is down,'" explained Bélanger.
Later in the day, she returned and approached the site by foot. She says she immediately found the two young ravens on the ground due to their cries.
"It's very obvious that it has been cut with a chainsaw, so it's not a natural fall," said Bélanger.
The City of Greater Sudbury, which owns the campground, is investigating.
Young ravens improving
Attempts to reunite the nestlings with their parents were unsuccessful.
The two nestling ravens are now under the care of custodian Gloria Morrissette at the nearby Turtle Pond Wildlife Centre.
"They're doing fine," said Morissette. "They came in a little thin, and one was injured, but they're both gaining weight and they're eager eaters and the injury seems to be improving."
Unlike many of their avian counterparts, however, ravens tend to remain within their family groups well after they take flight.
"I think [these two nestlings] will be fine, but they will be at a disadvantage once they're released because they don't have a family unit to be with," explained Morissette. "Fortunately, ravens are very intelligent birds."
"I'm hoping they will eventually congregate with other ravens."
Both Bélanger and Morissette are convinced someone became annoyed with the young birds' instinctual calls for food.
"Other than the nest being there, I can't think of any scenario why they would have cut that tree," said Morissette.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is also looking into the situation. The ministry has laws against disturbing most wild bird nests.
"I have the sense these people [who allegedly cut the tree] thought, 'Ah, it's just a tree, and it's just ravens,'" said Bélanger. "But guess what? Somebody was watching."
According to McGill University's Urban Nature Information Service, some raven nests are used for 100 years or more as new generations of birds rebuild them when they wear out.