Crow Won't Leave The Woman Who Saved His Life

Fagin doesn't quite have the words to thank the human who saved his life.

They always seem to come out wrong. Like the garbled croaks of a cranky old man.

But ever since Vikkie Kenward found him as a baby fallen from his nest - and fed him a steady diet of nourishing crickets and worms - the crow has found other ways to show his gratitude.

He rarely leaves her side. Or her head.

"He is free to fly and can leave whenever he wants," Kenward, who lives in West Sussex, England, tells The Dodo. "However, he always comes home."

Indeed, for Fagin, home is where the hair is. Or the fur.

Being orphaned so young by his own kind seems to have forced Fagin to adapt to another kind of life.

"When I walk my dog down the road, Fagin will usually walk with us," Kenward says, "and will kinda bounce along if he starts to fall behind."

Yes, those legs - so tiny compared to those of his human and her dog, Inca - will only get a crow so far.

Still, like other birds who have made an uncanny connection with their rescuer, Fagin has managed to travel far in a life he almost never had at all.

"He had obviously fallen from his nest, which was very high up, in a massive oak tree," Kenward explains.

The injured baby bird wriggled and gasped at the side of the road.

(Note: You should move a baby bird only if he's hurt or you're certain that he's been abandoned by his mother. Find more tips here.)

Kenward - who has experience rehabilitating orphaned birds - named him Fagin, after the iconic rogue in "Oliver Twist." She figured he would fly back to his nest once he regained his strength.

But, unlike past birds, Fagin ended up sticking around.

If fact, he showed a certain relish for the ways of humans and dogs.

Even Fagin's peculiar attempts to soar seem positively un-crowlike. Likely because no one showed him how it's done.

"I think Fagin sees flying as a sport or does it to have fun," Kenward says, "because he gets excited and while flying starts spinning, swooping and spiralling in the air - as if a fighter jet was hot on his heals."

While Fagin's gratitude may know no bounds, so too does his personal hygiene. The crow still hasn't figured out where he can go to the bathroom. Or, at least, he chooses not to.

Fagin tends to relieve himself wherever he happens to be perched. It's a bit of an issue when one of his favorite perches is Kenward's head.

One day, Fagin might just find the words to thank her for all that she's done for him and even all the bird droppings she's endured.

He's clearly working on it. In fact, Kenward is convinced he's trying to talk.

"It sounds so funny, and I've never heard a crow make a noise even slightly similar," she says.

Don't worry, Fagin. You'll have the rest of your life to find those words.