It was a grey and damp morning, not too cold - which simply means the temperature, just above freezing, felt warmer because there was no wind.
There also was no sun when I left the house at 7.30 a.m.
Earlier, the robins and blackbirds were singing loudly, but no raven calls were to be heard.
Once I was in Llandaff Fields, no calls and no ravens - until I got well into the big field.
There, coming from the toddlers' playground, first one, then a second raven approached, the first one making a soft quorking sound as he walked towards me, then he displayed the juvenile begging position and cawed, still walking towards me. The second raven was quiet - but calls came from behind me: the quarry pair had also arrived and was walking towards me.
The first pair was my young pair, the second the quarry pair. Both pairs were very wary because there were a few dogs romping around, one a German wire-haired Pointer, six months old, called Milo, who came right up to me to say hello.
I managed to feed quite a few scraps to my ravens - but then Bas turned up, joyful and bouncy - and the ravens fled. I walked back with him and his 'mum' - so there was neither time nor opportunity to wait and see if my bold pair would appear.
I've got to work on my timing, I believe, and let the actual light conditions rather than the clock determine when I go out. Today looks like confirmation that the young pair and the quarry pair are watching for me while it is still darkish, the bold pair turning up when it is proper daylight.
We'll see what happens tomorrow.
