Ohio Bird Sanctuary kicks off summer with luau May 11 with Edgar, American crow ambassador

The Ohio Bird Sanctuary will kick off summer May 11 from 4:30-7 p.m. with a Hawaiian luau, hula dancers and a program that highlights crows and Hawaiian crow conservation efforts.

Professional hula dancers will perform at 5:30 p.m.

The Ohio Bird Sanctuary has an American crow ambassador named Edgar who has been trained to collect cash donations and fly them into his money box. Edgar also can collect small soda cans and plastic bottles and put them in a recycling can.

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And Edgar may show visitors his skills during the fundraiser. Half of what Edgar collects in his money box will go to the conservation center in Hawaii, said Amanda Vanderford, curator of animals at the bird sanctuary, 3774 Orweiler Road.

This event will have family-friendly activities and a food truck. Cost of the luau fundraiser is $50 per carload.

"This will be an exciting and engaging event that will highlight our bird's trained behaviors that you will expect to see in our new Avian Encounters area," Vanderford said.

New Avian Encounters area at Ohio Bird Sanctuary

The new Avian Encounters area is still under way but plans are to hold a grand opening this coming fall, said Gail Laux, founder of the sanctuary. The Avian Encounters area is home to 16 new enclosures in a wooded area where visitors can see vultures and Edgar each in their own care areas or home.

The Avian Encounter area has been under construction since April 2023.

Wednesday, Laux and Vanderford provided a sneak peak of the Avian Encounters area, where birds have their own care areas. "Each one is a little different. Our contractor was incredible," Laux said. "Each one is molded into the hillside, molded into the trees."

The visitors center is also under renovation.

Vanderford said the Avian Encounters area will be private.

"The only way the public will be able to come over here is if they schedule a program or in a camp or they have something special scheduled with us," she said. She said at the grand opening of Avian Encounters the public will be able to come and see it.

The new Avian Encounters area is not included in the general admission price.

Vanderford, who is from Mansfield, said she was working at the bird sanctuary previously and returned after going to a crow conservation internship in 2012 in Maui, Hawaii.

Crows in Hawaii and conservation efforts

"In Hawaii, they have their specific species of crow called the Hawaiian crow," Vanderford said. In Ohio it is the American crow.

"They just went extinct in the wild in the early 2000s, so very recent, habitat loss, disease, invasive species," she said.

Vanderford and her staff have worked with Edgar and his trained behaviors.

She said the bird sanctuary is working to do more in the conservation aspect, starting with American kestrels, or small falcons, with specific programming with some proceeds going to an organization out West.

Vanderford said that Hawaiian crows help by dispersing seeds, which is a huge part of the Hawaiian ecosystem. Crows are scavengers.

"The staff is training the birds to do natural behaviors, training them to do things they would naturally do but we just ask them to it on cue and they have the choice to participate or not," Vanderford said.

Meet Edgar Allan Crow

Edgar is 5 years old and came to the bird sanctuary in 2020 after he was found somewhere in Ohio where he had lived with a family. His diet includes fresh fruit, insects and pellets similar to soft dog food.

Vanderford said many people don't like crows or think crows are gross.

In Hawaii, Hawaiian crows are kept in captivity and bred to try to release them back to the wild.

"Everyone in Hawaii is seeing a huge ripple effect by not having crows in their ecosystem," Vanderford said. "We can appreciate what Hawaii is going through and one of the most important roles they play is seed dispersal and as they are flying around and going to the bathroom, they're spreading seeds. We teach the Hawaiian crow story to appreciate our crows here."

At the bird sanctuary, Edgar demonstrated his awesome abilities in a 35-foot-tall enclosure for visitors Wednesday. He flew to a top branch on a tree inside the large enclosure and let out a few "caws" after taking note of his visitors.

Edgar is the lone crow at the bird sanctuary. He works best on his own, Vanderford said. Staff spend a lot of time with him.

"We have to keep him busy," Vanderford said. "If I came here every single day and did the same thing with him he would get so bored. Our crows and our vultures are our smartest species. They're the hardest to keep up with as far as entertaining them and making sure their well-being is OK."

At the end of the day, they are in an enclosure, they're not free, so it's up to staff to make sure they are content, Vanderford said.

Edgar's new enclosure will be done in time for the luau.

Laux said crows can identify faces.

"So if you're mean to a crow they're telling all their buddies about you and what you look like," she said. "If you're nice to a crow, it's the same thing. It's how they survive in their family units."

The Avian Encounters area will have seating and a stage when completed. The new area is under construction and will not be open during the luau.

lwhitmir@gannett.com

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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Family-friendly luau May 11 at Ohio Bird Sanctuary with Edgar the crow