Town Raven

Town Raven
In flight

ITS A DIARY !

This is a diary, or rather, field notes written up each day, with the latest entry at the top.

To get the full story, start at the bottom entry in the archive, and read upwards.
Then read the current diary entries from the bottom up as well.


Once you've got the full story, just visit and read the new story for the day!

Enjoy!

Location Map

Location Map
This shows where we walk and meet the ravens
The yellow and pink squiggly lines are two walks we take. The yellow one is the one we usually do. The squigglyness indicates how Madame visits her several important sniffing check-points!
We stop several times to feed the ravens, and you can see where they come from.

If you right-click on the image and open it in a new tab, you can then zoom in to see more details.

Wednesday 30 December 2009

Dec 30th


That snow yesterday - well, it snowed for half an hour, and then it was back to rain, so no white fluffy stuff on the ground this morning. Instead, it was just as yesterday: dark, wet, street lights still on past the official time for sunrise, but far less wind, so it didn't feel as cold.

We hadn't heard a single raven call earlier in the morning, and there were none when we first got into Llandaff Fields, having left home at 7.40 a.m. Walking to the top of the big field, we started hearing them in the far distance, from the allotments and beyond.

But one pair did keep a look-out - and came swooping into the trees at the footpath, then following us into the ravens field. It was my bold pair.
I noticed again that they are wary of Madame to start with, especially as she is off her lead but sits next to me. Then, once they see she is not going to attack them, they come much closer.

They got all the scraps - on the way to the enclosure, in the enclosure and on the way back. 
The bold raven again came swooping to face us, repeatedly, on the ground, after he had hidden his food in some holes further away. 
The young pair don't do that - they go to ground behind our backs. 

So he and his companion got the lot - some went into Madame! - and we left on the 'no-more-food' walk. Neither raven followed us - they have learnt this, and remember it very well!

I also noticed that the bold raven now flies to the allotment boundary to hide his food. He seems to have cottoned on to the fact that if he hides the food in holes in the open ground it will get scoffed by dogs, and will of course be noticed by other ravens, who will then come and pinch it! 

Also worth noting is that he lets his companion feed on what I throw while he is off, making holes to hide the food - and she is now waiting for him to go away. 
Today, only once did he push her away from the scrap I had just thrown.

Finally, I have the impression that they are following us from afar, on our way back home. I have seen him a few times in the big road with the shops - so he seems to know his way around the area. 

Once the days get longer, and they start breeding, perhaps I could entice him to our back garden ... 

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