Sunday, Dec 13th

Another dry and cold day. Raven calls as usual, well before we left the house, coming from Pontcanna Fields, with other corvid calls mixed in. 

We left at 7.40 a.m. - well, its Sunday, after all ...

It was still dawn, but the sunrise was not especially spectacular. 

There were no ravens in Llandaff Fields, but we heard their calls, coming from the same direction as those we hear from the back of the house. Then one raven appeared from that direction, flying over the toddlers' playground and settling on a tree at the boundary to the bowling green. 

As we got into the ravens field, at first there were none there. Then, one pair turned up, coming from the Horse Chestnut Avenue. It was my young pair again. They now venture closer, to within a yard and a half, when we are in the open field. It was noticeable today, especially on the way back. Having Madame on or off the lead doesn't seem to make any difference.

Mind - Madame is now very good at sitting next to me, waiting for her rewards. Sometimes she gets up and stares at the ravens - more to see if they pick up the scraps than to give chase. Her Collie-stare doesn't seem to bother the ravens much - well, they're not sheep, are they!

I have no idea why these two ravens seem to dislike the enclosure. They do fly into it, and do pick up the scraps, but always from a much greater distance. One of them always makes a hole in the middle of the enclosure, to hide his scraps.

We went back the 'more-food' way, and the young pair again followed us, first walking behind us, then swooping into a tree before swooping down onto the big field beyond the footpath.

As I was giving them more scraps, right on cue the other young pair turned up, again coming from the side of the old quarries. They are more shy and do keep further away. All picked up scraps without much competing. Then all four of them made a few croaks, fluffing themselves up. That got them more scraps.

Turning my back on them - yes, here was my third pair, with my bold raven. They had come from Pontcanna Fields, and waited patiently quite some distance away from that young lot. 

Their behaviour, and the boldness of my raven, were clear indications of who they were! 

It is amazing to see how close he hops - less than a yard!

When all food had gone, we regained the footpath, and while the young ravens flew away to the quarry side and to the ravens field respectively, my bold one flew onto a tree at the footpath to watch us go. 

We didn't get his lovely soft calls today because a GoldenLlab turned up, Benji. He is a softie, but looks like a big teddy bear - so the raven flew away.

All in all a good start to Sunday - ravens happy, Madame happy, getting a tiny bit better, me happy.

Note to self: must take more food with me!