Dec 2nd

The good news is that Madame was allowed to come home  today, from the vet's hospital. She is still a bit shaky, but time will make her better, I hope.

The raven news - well, that was very interesting!

I left the house around 7.40. It was much milder than yesterday, but very cloudy, with a hint of drizzle, and no sun, but also no arctic winds.

There were a few raven calls, but I didn't see one raven the whole length of Llandaff fields, until I came to the ravens field. Then, i saw one flying to sit on the top branch of one of the trees near the spinney. 

He did not come down into the big field, nor did he come into the ravens field until I was nearly up to the top enclosure where I feed them. A second raven joined him - but they kept the whole enclosure between themselves and me, so I could not make out who they were. 

They did pick up the scraps, but were not waiting for me to throw them, as the bold one and even the young pair have been doing.

I'd say though that they were definitely not the pair with the bold raven.

They might have been the young pair, and might have been very confused and scared, seeing me on my own, without Madame.

If so - then the question arises why, after a good ten days, they don't recognise me on my own, and why, seeing me on my own, they were so scared? I was wearing the same clothes, after all.

Compare this with the 'recognition experiment', involving the bold raven, on Nov, 11th.

If they were the third pair, the pair I fed by mistake in the field next to the old quarries, when it was too dark for me to see that they were not the bold pair - then what has happened to my young pair?

Very odd.

 

I don't know yet what will happen tomorrow  - it depends on how Madame is doing for the rest of today, overnight, and in the morning.

We'll have to wait and see ...

Dec 1st

I am writing this with a very  heavy heart. 

I had to rush my dear little Madame to the vet this morning, as an emergency. It is Vestibular Disease - she needs to stay in the vet's hospital.

It was such a wonderful early morning. We left the house at 7.30. The sunrise was incredible: dramatic, from deepest red to palest yellow. so beautiful! 

There was frost on the grass - and Madame so enjoyed rolling on that grass. It was dry, but the wind came from the Arctic, so it was really cold.

We went across the big field, so Madame could roll to her heart's content.

There were a few raven calls, and as we reached the horse chestnut avenue, we saw four ravens fly high above us, towards the South West. I didn't think we'd see any of them today - but as soon as we came to the little arboretum, there they were, waiting for us.

It was again the young pair. 

We went through the usual feeding routine, and I found it interesting to see that it is the smaller, slimmer raven who does the snatching. 

This raven is still skittish, the other a bit less so, but the bigger raven, who doesn't snatch as much scraps as he can, seems to wait a bit, as if to see if the smaller one wants the scrap, before he takes it.

We went back home along the 'no-more-food' way - one raven followed us. He didn't follow closely, he waited util he saw where we went, and then flew to sit on the shed roof.

I don't know what will happen with my beloved little Madame. I'll be told later today. 

If she has to stay in the vet's hospital overnight, then I will go out on my own, to feed the ravens. 

I don't know if I'll be able to do this if I have to say good-bye to her tonight.

Keep us in your thoughts.

Nov 30th

No rain! 

Not one drop of rain ... and the sun came out. 

We 'paid' for that with an icy wind straight from the Arctic, but as it wa dry, everybody was happy.

Even the daylight was cheering - we left the house at 7.30 a.m., and the brightness was as good as yesterday, nearly an hour later.

We went down the horse chestnut avenue because the fields were still quite wet and muddy - and I wanted to keep Madame clean and respectable for her visit to the vet later this morning.

There were some distant raven calls, but at first there was not one raven on the ground anywhere in Llandaff Fields. 

But further on, then there was one in the field next to the old quarries, so we ventured into that field, mud or no mud, to see if that was my bold raven.

It wasn't.

I threw him a couple of scraps, but he kept well away from us, very shy, and only took it when we had walked on for a good twenty yards. Madame was on her lead. A second raven joined him, also keeping well away from us - this also cannot have been my bold one.

Then, as we approached the little arboretum, two ravens came swooping down from the spinney, which is a bit further to our right when we walk this way.

They settled on the ground under the first horse chestnut in the ravens field - literally waiting for us. It was the young pair again, I can recognize them now. They were as skittish as always, and again, hopped closer to pick up a scrap of food only after we'd turned our backs. 

Still - they are actually coming closer. 

It was interesting to see how the strong wind ruffled the feathers on their heads - it looked a bit like hair blown about in the wind.

When I fed them in the enclosure, one scrap fell within a foot of the fence. I stepped back one step - and they tried to take this scrap, hopping to it, then back, then another little hop, back again - it was very interesting to watch them trying to build up their courage. One of them then hopped into the middle of the enclosure and did this displacement activity I have described before: it looks as if he's trying to lick some dew from the grass blades.

We went to the big field along the 'more-food'-way. One followed, but not immediately. He took his time, then the other came. They don't seem to be sure about the difference between these two directions. 

That, of course, is yet another indicator that they are not my first pair, with the bold raven. Those two had learned the difference!

It'll be an early start again tomorrow - so I'm resigned to feed this young pair, while still hoping for my bold raven to turn up at some time.

Sunday, Nov 29th

It rained again during the night, and in the morning. Therefore, light conditions were similar to yesterday, even though we left the house half an hour later. It was cold as well, and all the fields were so slippery with mud that most of us early dog walkers kept to the footpaths.

One single raven was poking holes in the big field, close to the horse chestnut avenue we again walked along. Otherwise, not one raven to be seen - but we did hear quite a few raven calls. Interestingly, they seemed to come from the direction of the big street with the shops, not from the playing fields.

As we neared the arboretum, there were some more raven calls - and then one raven swooped down to the corner of the ravens field, followed by his companion. They both came from the spinney, to our right .

I think they sat in one of the tall trees there, watching for us.

Again, it was the young pair. They still are really skittish when I throw the scraps, but do now come a bit closer. One of them looks as if he's got a bit of a 'hooked' beak: it seems to rise a tiny bit where it leaves the skull. 

They behaved again as I have described yesterday - diffident, waiting for us to turn our backs, not making holes as a matter of course - and not following us to the grassy patch in front of the sheds. We did leave along the 'no-more-food' way, again. 

As it was raining, the ravens did not make any croaks or soft noises, nor did the linger after we'd walked by the spinney. Who can blame them ...!

So - what next? I can't believe my bold raven has simply given up! 

Unfortunately, its impossible to walk close to the old quarries because of the dreadful conditions underfoot. Thats where i'd hope to pick him up again.

Also, it'll be an early start tomorrow as we've got to see the vet (routine visit, Madame is ok today!). 

Perhaps I'll just try and coach this young pair to become less distrustful, while waiting for better weather.

A word about Madame: she has become very good at sitting and waiting when I feed the ravens. I might try and see if she can do it off the lead when the ravens are in the open field. So far, I've let her off only when we're at the enclosures. 

Thats two projects for next week then ...!

Regarding the rain: the local paper says its been the sixth-wettest November on record ...

Nov 28th

More rain overnight, but it stayed dry whilst we were out. Must have been because I wore waterproof trousers ...!

We left earlier than yesterday and got to the little arboretum shortly after 7.30 a.m. It was much lighter than yesterday. The ground was too sodden to walk on, and the trees stood in their own little private lakes. It was rather cold.

The first raven sat under the horse chestnuts at the corner of the ravens field, and looking around for the second, I saw him sit on the top of the derelict Victorian drinking fountain.

We got straight into the ravens field, and with the first scraps I saw that these were the 'young' pair. It is not so much their physical features, its their behaviour which is so different from my first pair. 

While they have become less skittish with each time we meet, they are still very wary and don't come closer than three yards unless we turn our backs. Also, they do not make holes as a routine, but rather - or so it looks to me - as an afterthought.

Most interestingly, while one raven does try and get more scraps than the other, he restricts himself to one or two extra scraps, and does not aim to get the whole lot, as my bold one does. He also does not snatch the extra scrap when he sees his companion aiming for it. 

We went through the usual routine, and left by the now familiar 'no-more-food'- way. The ravens followed us a bit in the open field, but did not venture onto the patch in front of the sheds. One flew up to sit on one of the small trees at the boundary of the spinney as we made our way along - but that was it.

So it does rather look as if the two pairs have a different schedule according to time/daylight. 

We shall confirm this by getting out later tomorrow, still using the walk to the small arboretum. 

I hope we can do this - Madame seems to be a bit under the weather this afternoon ...