The high winds stormed over us yesterday afternoon, so it was dry and not windy early this morning, with a watery sun being obscured by clouds. Earlier, robins and blackbirds had been singing, and now the great tits have also started to join in. No raven calls, however.
I left the house at 7.25 a.m. and in Llandaff Fields not one raven was to be seen or heard. I assumed that they'd all flown into town, as last night there was a huge rugby match, so there must have been lots of left-over food for them.
I walked to the top of the big field, which had been colonised this morning by about forty black-headed seagulls. They flew up, and kept circling over my head as I was standing there. I walked on to the ravens field, thinking that none of my six ravens would turn up with that lot of seagulls overhead.
There were no ravens in the ravens field either - so I just went to the enclosure and threw some scraps into it. But then - my young pair arrived. They were very circumspect, keeping their distance, as usual, even in the enclosure. As I was turning away, one of them flew onto one of the fence posts and cawed repeatedly and very loudly.
I went back to the big field,, now without seagulls, and while the young pair had not followed me, the quarry pair turned up. As I threw them some scraps, the bold pair turned up - and then the young pair came as well.
At one point they all froze, didn't move at all - I looked up and saw a bird of prey fly high above us. I know there is a sparrow hawk about - it might have been him. He flew towards Pontcanna Fields, and as soon as he was out of sight, the ravens started moving again.
