Well! Today was another day for a raven surprise!
We left the house at 6.35 a.m., to bright sunshine, an icy breeze from the NW, blue sky - and the first contrails criss-crossing the sky because the first planes were arrivening from the USA, the flight bann having been sort of lifted.
Llandaff Fields was empty except for some joggers. There were no raven calls, and no ravens to be seen until we got to the ravens field.
We noted on the way that the wire fencings had been removed from the enclosure in the big field, and from the lower enclosure in the ravens field. The top enclosure there, where I feed the ravens, still had the fencing in place.
When we got to that enclosure, one raven came swooping down from the trees at the allotment wall - sat on a fence post, and quorked at us while clapping its beak, head feathers slightly raised. So that was one of the young pair. I've observed this behaviour before.
I threw some scraps - and the raven went to get them imemdiately, actually hopping at speed to get them, the flying off.
Before we had rounded one side, another raven came - I think this was my bold one, he collected as much as he could, again with speed, and flew off.
On to the next side of the enclosure - and another single raven came - the other of my young pair, I think.
Again - he picked up what he could see very fast, and flew off immediately.
All the single ravens were picking up the scraps as fast as I could throw them, and then rushing off: they all came and went across the trees in the direction of Pontcanna Fields.
I concluded that they are now all feeding this years hatchlings and need everything they can get.
I emptied all the scraps into that raven enclosure, and as we turned towards the spinney, one raven (has to have been the bold one!), having first flown a sort of attack on a circling seagull, then just picked up all he could, in spite of that seagull circling overhead, coming ever lower.
My bold raven did not stop picking up the scraps, however.
Me and Sophie went back, and I flapped my free arm at the seagull, so it flew off.
I have never seen the ravens picking scraps up at such speed - they were not walking to the next scraps as they usually do, they were actually jumping rather than just gently hopping.
I hope they got more food - it is, after all, another day where there are food waste bags on the streets.
There were no more ravens when we went home, nor any calls - I think the ravens are too busy collecting and delivering food, and have no time for callings right now.
I am looking forward to tomorrow, and to what the ravens will do when this last fencing is removed. I'll bring lots of scraps, that's for sure!
2 comments:
Hi {Yma} this is realwest! I'm glad that some ravens showed up, and I'm guessing your right about the nesting and feeding of young ones, since the Ravens came in one at a time.
But I wonder about the Seagulls - do you think they had anything to do with the SPEED with which the Ravens picked up your goodies for them?
And how was Miss Sophie today - is she behaving somewhat better to other (bigger) dogs and to men?
Hiya, realwest!
No - I think the speed of the food pick-ups by the ravens was not due to the seagulls: they had not been circling until this one showed up.
Miss Sophie is getting more confident, is more happy to meet people, and has so far been fine with men, provided they have dogs! I think she is settling in, and feels less scared of general things. Small odd things still scare her.
Also, she is now not going for the big dogs she has met - but she is still trying to get to 'play' with any terrier type of dog, the smaller the better. Sadly, she does not know how to play gently, and not everybody likes their fluffy white doggie messed about with!
But she is coming along, tiny bit by tiny bit.
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