Nov 16th, 2009

Yet more surprises today!

There had been a lot of rain during the night, the ground was exceedingly muddy. As we went out, about 7.15 a.m., rain threatened, but it was dry, grey, and even a bit windy. It was rather mild.

Not many dog walkers around - and a big flock of black-headed gulls were sitting at the top end of the big field.

We made our way up that field, playing a bit, and the seagulls took off.

Then my ravens appeared. I gave them a few scraps - Madame had some as well, but was again dead keen to chase the ravens off and get their scraps as well. At least she doesn't bark when she does that ...

And then: two more ravens appeared, from the direction of the toddlers' playground.

They joined my ravens - who were outraged!

There was quite a scrap, wings being flapped, some squawkings, and then the newcomers and what must have been my timid raven all assumed the 'begging' position, as if to soothe each other. They were facing each other - but what must have been my bold raven just walked off, as if to separate himself from this group.

They did not beg towards me - they did that amongst the three of them!

I left them to it, and Madame and I went into the ravens' field. Quickly, the bold one appeared, then the timid one - just these two. As Madame had decided she'd rather chase the ravens for the meat scraps than be an obedient dog, I put her on the lead. She did get rewards then, after I had thrown some scraps to the ravens.

A nice black dog appeared, with her owner - and she chased the ravens vigorously. They did flap off, but didn't fly into the trees.

So we had our usual routine, walking round the enclosure and throwing scraps into it. This time, the bold raven actually did hop close to the fence to pick up the scrap, rather than display that displacement behaviour. And of course, he managed to get most of the scraps again.

Before we walked off, he sat on one fence post, scraping his beak - that made a startling sound against the wood!

We walked round the spinney under the trees, crossing the footpath - and the ravens followed us into the big field. They got a few more scraps, to reinforce that this is the 'some-more-food'- way.

On our way home, walking towards he car park, I saw one raven in the middle of the big field, on his own. Another one was closer to where we walked, but still some distance away. Each had their beak in the ground.

Then two ravens flew in, coming from Pontcanna Fields. They stayed together and did not approach the two single ravens. Next, two more ravens flew in, also from Pontcanna Fields, joining the first two.

So - there are six ravens in this area. I have no idea how they are related - but at least now we know their number!

Nov 15th, 2009 (Sunday)

We were a bit late today, seeing that it was Sunday.

It was calm, sunny, a bit cooler than yesterday - and no wind!

We ran into Marianne and Billy again, and chatted a bit. Marianne told me that she saw me and the ravens the other day, with the ravens following me! While we chatted, we observed two of them flying from Pontcanna Fields over to the ravens' field, and I thought these must be 'mine'.

There were no calls, no squawks, it was all very quiet as we went to the top of the big field, Madame playing a bit with the ball.

Also - the ravens did not come to meet us at the top of the big field - nor were they present in the ravens' field when we crossed into it.

They eventually did turn up, however, and we had the usual feeding routine.

As noted yesterday, when I threw one scrap quite close to the fence, the bold raven first approached it, and then hopped back a bit and put his beak to the ground, seemingly licking the damp grass.

The timid raven did something new today: at one point it fluffed itself up and assumed the 'begging' posture which the juveniles adopt, just after they've flown their nest, when they still ask the parent birds to feed them.

The ravens now seem to feel quite secure inside the fenced-off plot: Bart appeared, the black, young Labradoodle, and Otty (a younger, chocolate Labradoodle), both coming up to us, to greet Madame and me. The ravens just hopped a bit towards the middle of the plot but did not fly off.

Also noteworthy: whilst I was feeding 'my' ravens in the plot, they suddenly stopped looking at me and flew onto the fence posts: quite high up a group of four birds flew over us, from the toddlers' playground/Pontcanna Fields, in a diagonal direction.

I couldn't make out what they were - too high up - but these were definitely not sea gulls or ducks or cormorants. Might have been ravens: too small a group for jackdaws or crows.

We went round the spinney at the tennis court side again - and it looks as if the ravens have indeed understood this 'signal'.

The bold one flew to sit on one of the smallish trees in the spinney, right next to where we walk, and cawed a few times. He did not follow us further, but looking back I saw him on the ground, drinking from the huge puddle in front of the changing rooms there.

Tomorrow I'll see if they follow us back to the big field, for more food, when we go round the spinney the other way.

Nov 14th, 2009

Well, that was a dead loss today, in regard to the weather!

Okay, it did rain in the night - but there was no storm: that came, for a few hours, in the late afternoon today.

England got a harsh battering, mind - but here in the Welsh capital things were acceptable for this time of year.

So no answer as to what ravens do in a storm.

However - as it was cold, I put my hood up, which is black. Still the ravens came, meeting us at the top of the big field.

That, of course, means any speculation about the role my hair colour plays in their recognition of me is now thrown out of the window, because Madame was there with me. So I'm up a stump here.

More thinking needed!

Two things happened today:

1) Madame, who so far has been happy to snuffle round the fence of the enclosure in the ravens' field, did a very naughty thing today!

She wriggled underneath the bottom of the little gate of that enclosure, to get into the pitch! The ravens flew off while I got her out with rank bribery. Bad Madame!

2) when the ravens had come back, some of the scraps I threw landed very close to the fence - about half a foot away. Even though I walked on a bit, they didn't dare come close to pick them up.

Instead, first the one, then the other displayed what can only be called displacement behaviour: they put their beaks to the grass and seemed to lick (yes, they have tongues) some of the raindrops from the grass.

They did this twice. I give them off-cuts from raw meat - not salted, cooked or interfered with in any way. I thought this was very interesting - I'll see if I can replicate this tomorrow.

We went back along the tennis court side of the spinney, the 'no-more-food' side. The bold raven flew onto the roof of the changing rooms there, and sat on the end of the roof,  towards the toddlers' playground, not the ravens' field end.

He fluffed up his feathers - but did not follow us any further.

If they really have grasped that us walking this way means feeding is finished, then they are indeed incredibly intelligent - we've done all this for less than a month!

Madame, while not quite as food-obsessed as Big Dog, is still far more anxious to get any scraps she can, regardless of me being cross with her, and regardless of being told 'down - stay'.

Aww - ravens more capable of learning new things than a Border Collie??? Unbelievable!

Now all these observations need to be repeated over the coming days and weeks, else its just some nice anecdotes.

Nov 13th, 2009

Another surprise today?

Oh yes! 

Two, in fact ...

In the first place, it was dry, and there was no gale - the weather forecasters got it wrong, again! 

Some rain bands had been moving across the country during the night, the ground was a bit muddy, but no weather horrors. 

At the time of writing this (mid-afternoon), it is raining a bit, but not hard. Mind - just now Madame looked out the back door and then looked at me - nope, she definitely did not want to go out at all!

In the second place, as soon as we got into the big field, I could hear a raven croaking to our left, from the horse chestnut avenue. This croaking seemed to accompany us as we went/strolled/played with the ball our way up to the top footpath. 

At the usual place there, right in front of the trees on the other side of the footpath and in front of the spinney, first one, then another raven appeared - and got scraps. Madame was very good at sitting next to me, waiting for her bit - but as the ravens seemed a bit diffident, she managed to rush off and give chase, getting their scraps as well as hers as the ravens flew off.

We then went into the ravens' field, and again the ravens followed us, getting their scrap or two. 

And then ...! I still can't believe it: two ravens came swooping down from the tennis-court side of the spinney, squawking and croaking loudly. The two on the ground flew up, and actually flew across the spinney back to where I couldn't see them any longer, while the two newcomers landed.

Turns out the two 'newcomers' were actually my ravens - the bold one with the pronounced bow ridge, and his companion!

So I obviously fed two different ravens first. Absent any leg rings, its very hard to distinguish them - they are very similar in size. I think the one diagnostic feature has to be the pronounced brow ridge of the bold raven - otherwise there is no way of keeping them apart.

All four (if I have fed two different lots, accidentally) show similar behaviour, being not keen to come too close to me when picking up a scrap and preferring to pick it up when I turn my back. I don't want to re-interpret my observations, but it might just be possible that I've fed this other pair at some stage. 

In the background of my memory lurks the observation that once or twice i vaguely wondered about the absence/presence of that brow ridge, without paying too much attention.

That attention I shall certainly pay now!

We went back along the tree-side of the spinney and the ravens followed us again and got a few more scraps. Then a cluster of dog walkers turend up, with the very bouncy whippets Archie and Dougie taking over practically all of the place. Oh, and Bart also came, saying hello to Madame. 

That was it for today - we'll see what the weather brings this evening and tonight and in the morning. The weather forecasters are besides themselves, thick windspeed arrows on the weather map, right over Cardiff, doom and gloom, but so far nothing is happening. 

It will be interesting to see, if there are gales, how the ravens cope: will it deter them? Will they still come?

Nov 12th, 2009

Today we had another little surprise!

I was wearing the red dog walking clothes, because some drizzle was predicted. Instead, it was dry, milder than the last few days, but grey and very much overcast.

Madame and I went into the big field first, spoke to another dog walker (well, she had a puppy ...!), and played with a ball. Then Madame went off on her own, snuffling about - and of course never brought the ball back! Bad Madame!

As we approached the top end of this, the big field, the bold raven appeared. He flew to sit on the top branches of one of the young ash trees in front of the spinney - that was more a twig, it waved around as he settled. And then he croaked three times, as if to say 'hello'!

After that, he flew down into the field, and his timid companion appeared then as well. I gave them a few scraps there, then moved into the ravens' field - both following.

I tried to get Madame to sit and wait, but she was so intent on getting a scrap as well - it wasn't working. More time needed here!

The ravens weren't too fussed, but did keep their distance.

Again, I walked round our enclosure, throwing them scraps from each side of the square. As usual now, the bold one got about three for every single one the timid raven managed to pick up. When I'd only got three scraps left, we turned to go round the spinney and back into the big field, along the trees lining the footpath.

But who should turn up? Bas! And Karen, of course.

We walked on a bit, Bas and Madame romping around. The ravens meanwhile had flown into the trees at the footpath, where they could observe us.

We went back a bit further, to the enclosure, and one came to pick up some scraps he'd hidden there earlier, while Bas was running round, and Madame was snuffling right next to the fence.

That was interesting, because this might mean that they do feel safe inside the enclosure, even when a big hound like Bas is romping about.

We went back to the car park then, and as more dog walkers appeared, the ravens did not follow us into the big field.

That greeting this morning (if that was what it was!) was really good!

The weather forecast for tomorrow and the weekend is horrendous - heavy rain and gales from the South West.

Madame and I will have to go out no matter what - I do wonder what the ravens will do ...