Dec 21st

Poor ravens! 

I had to abandon going out in the dark - first, we had rain late last night, and then snow on top - on frozen ground!

The roads, pavements, even the park were treacherous. 

Therefore, I had to leave even earlier than planned, to get to my appointment.

When I was back home again, we did go out. 

It was about 10 a.m., the sun was shining, but the ice was even covering the grass in the fields. 

Lots of dogs - no ravens. It was very cold - too cold and too icy for Madame, so we turned back home after I took some photos of the area. 

I've added some below, so you can see some of the features I keep talking about!

On the way back, we heard one of these deep raven calls - and one, then another came swooping from Pontcanna Fields. They were very shy - most certainly not my bold raven and his companion, nor my young pair. I threw them a few scraps - but they waited until we were well away before they ventured to pick them up.

Because of the ice, I carried Madame until we were out of the park.

Here are some photos:

Looking to the top of the big field, sheds on the right, then the spinney. The ravens field is beyond the spinney and the trees.

Looking left, from the big field, the old quarries, and towadrs the middle distance, the small arboretum.

Still in the big field, the toddlers' playground to the right. 

Pontcanna Fields is behind the huge evergreen trees in the far distance, beyond the playground.

Looking across the footpath into the ravens field. The spinney is on the right - and the ravens sit on the lower branch of the big tree in the middle foreground to wait. They sit on the branches of the tree next to the spinney when they follow us back into the big field.

The bottom end of the ravens field - the Horse Chestnut Avenue is the boundary, leading away on the left, middle distance.

Madame checking for new scents ... still in the big field.

The two ravens who turned up - see how far a way from us they are!

I zoomed in on the one raven - note the big, heavy beak, and the crop (empty!) underneath the beak. 

He is making himself look slim because he is a bit scared.

If the conditions are like this tomorrow (might be even worse, according to the weather forecast!), I shall have to leave Madame at home, and shall have to go out later than usual. 

I most certainly don't want to have a fall ...!

Sunday, Dec 20th

Another clear sky at dawn - another very cold morning. The colours of the dawn sky were magnificent: a pale pink, a yellowy blue, soft pastels.

We left the house around 7.45. The ravens had been calling around 7.15 a.m., which is about an hour before sun rise. Today, we could hear them calling in the park, and it sounded as if they were calling from the rooftops of the roads bordering the park. I believe their calls were so clear because there was hardly any traffic noise.

The ravens had a surprise for us today. As it was so very cold, the third day in succession, they must have been quite hungry. So they came to meet us at the top of the big field!

The first pair to arrive was the young pair from the quarry side, and then my young pair turned up. They swooped to the ground, and then hopped nearer.

As my young pair turned up, there was a little dust-up between the pairs, with squawking and wing-flapping. They settled and all had their share of scraps.

Then my bold raven and his companion arrived, from the direction of Pontcanna Fields. They also got their share.

As it was so very cold, we cut our walk short and went home. The bold raven followed us, flying into a tree along the footpath, then his companion came as well. And then his companion made this lovely, deep sound which sounds a bit like blowing across the top of a rusty metal pipe.

Unfortunately, Bart bounced up to meet us, and wanted to play with Madame, so that was the end of that! (Bart is a young, big, chocolate Labradoodle.)

I don't know yet what I'll do tomorrow, as I have a very early appointment, right on the other side of town. Thus it will be still very dark if we go out at 7 a.m.

Perhaps it might be better if we go out later in the morning, after I'm back.

Dec 19th

The thermometer may have been lower this morning, but it didn't feel as horrid as yesterday: there was hardly any wind at all when we went out at about 7.45 a.m. 

It was much lighter than yesterday - the sky was clear, with a pale, greenish-yellow cast in the East.

We had heard some raven calls earlier - but none when we came into Llandaff Fields, nor did we see any ravens until we came to the spinney. 

There, we heard one raven call, and saw him sit on the highest tree in the spinney - and his companion came flying over from the allotment side, to perch next to him.

We entered the ravens field, and both came to the open ground. It was 'my' young pair - it was sufficiently light to make out the 'Roman' nose of one of them.

Again, as now customary, they came to within a yard an a half in the open field, but kept further away in the enclosure. 

Again, they wait until we turn our backs before they pick up the food.

We left the 'more-food' way, because I was hoping to encounter more ravens. My pair followed us, again flying rather than hopping, and after the first few scraps in the open field they called - and the other young pair arrived, from the side of the old quarries. 

All four kept their distance, a good four yards, in spite of Madame being on her lead, and in spite of the absence of any other dogs.

At one point, as we walked on back home, all four followed us, walking in a line four abreast, spread out. I loved that!

I think I can now assume that the ravens field is the territory of my young pair, and that the big field is regarded as place for all hungry ravens to come and get what is offered, like a sort of more communal, shared raven territory.

We'll see if the next few days support this. 

It will be cold - again! - and it seems to me that Madame, while enjoying her rolling-about on the frosty grass, is not so keen on being out in the cold as she used to be ...

Dec 18th

Now I know where the ravens are calling from, early in the morning!

When we left the house at 7.15 a.m., it was dark, with just some brightness in the sky to the East. Sunrise today was at 8.15 a.m., so the street lights were on, and I saw ravens sitting on the chimney pots of the houses further down the road. Might they be attracted by the street lights?

It was bitterly cold today, with a perishing wind from the North East, which caught us, both going to the ravens field and coming back. 

No raven calls in the park, and no ravens. We went along the Horse Chestnut Avenue, because there are some street lights, so we could see where to go.

No ravens in the ravens field - but two did turn up when we were already on the way back, and had started to go down the big field. They came from the direction of the old quarries, so must have been the second young pair. They kept well away from us. 

As we turned back to go home, having thrown them a few scraps, I heard a loud squawking. Two others had turned up, and were flapping their wings, trying to get at the scraps. It was pretty noisy!

So I gave them most of the scraps. 

As we finally made our way back, Bas turned up. He gave Madame a little kissie! Neither Karen nor I lingered long - it was too cold in the perishing wind. 

This dark morning showed that the ravens appear to prefer light, to see whats going on. The two ravens turned up as the dawn had got under way, which incidentally was around the time we usually get into the ravens field. 

And seeing the other ravens, calling, sitting on the chimney pots also is indicative: they sat on those chimneys closest to the street lights.

It will be even colder tomorrow - but we shall get out a bit later, when it is lighter, with lots of food!

Dec 17th

It was a bit colder this morning, but not as damp as yesterday. There were bits of clear sky visible during the dawn, so it was quite a bit lighter than the last two days.

We heard some distant raven calls, also magpies and jackdaws, before we left the house at 7.25 a.m.

Llandaff Fields was empty - no dog walkers, no ravens.

Once we got to the ravens field, one came from the Horse Chestnut Avenue, to check us out. 

As he got his first scrap, his companion came flying down as well. 

Having picked those scraps up, they flew immediately into the enclosure. They certainly were not the pair with my bold raven - but which young pair were they? It was still too dark to look for the distinctive 'Roman' nose which one of my young pair has got.

We had our usual feeding routine, and it was their behaviour in the enclosure which makes me uncertain about their identity: they flew towards the different sides of the enclosure as if anticipating where I'd go next. 'My' young pair hasn't done that. 

They did however keep a good distance, in the enclosure as well as later in the open ravens field.

Again going back the 'more-food'-way, they followed us by swooping into the trees at the footpath separating the ravens field from the big field, and then swooping down from there to the ground. 

Once there, they called - and two more ravens turned up - probably my young pair - but all four kept well away. 

The reason for that came bouncing up to us: big Bas!

The pair with the bold raven didn't seem to be too bothered by Bas, the rare times they appeared together in one field.

All in all, some little interesting details about their behaviour, but not much else.

Madame thoroughly enjoyed her romp with Bas before we all went home.

As for tomorrow - we'll have to get out even earlier, unfortunately, because of the appointment with the vet. So it will be truly dark for most of our walk. 

At least we can find out if ravens have good night vision!