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 ...

Nov 27th

We left the house around 7.45 a.m. - quite late. However, it was still dark. There was no sun - just rain, and more rain, and then some! It was cold, with an icy breeze, and the ground was beyond sodden.

I had no hope to meet any ravens, even the seagulls were huddled on the ground and not sailing on the wind.

It was about 8 a.m. when we reached the top of the quarry field - again having gone the 'new' route.

No ravens.

As we crossed into the little arboretum, first one, then the second came down from the huge horse chestnuts which line the alley going between all those smaller fields. It was light enough for me to recognise my bold raven.

I fed them a few scraps there in the arboretum, then in the lower enclosure, more on the way to our enclosure and in there as well. Both ravens took off intermittently to hide the food in the holes they make in the open field.

Again, the bold raven scoffed the most, but the not-so-bold one now keeps waiting until the bold one flies off to hide his scraps, so he can get some food as well. It is quite funny to watch the bold one come swooping back at speed to snatch even the meagre bits given to the other one!

While we were at our enclosure, two ravens appeared from the direction of the tennis courts - my ravens took off to meet them in the air, and some squawking ensued!

They came back soon enough - but this time, the bold raven took off to hide his booty after every couple of scraps.

We went back the 'no-more-food'-way, and neither raven followed us.

Tomorrow - more rain predicted! - we'll have to go out a bit earlier. This means I can find out if my route determines which pair of ravens comes, or if it is the time.

If its the route - then I'd expect to see my bold raven again.

If its the time, then I'd expect to see the 'young' pair, not in the arboretum but in the ravens field.

By that time Madame will hopefully have dried out totally.

Her coat is still somewhat damp ...

Nov 26th

Well - that was a bit of a dead loss!

We left at the crack of dawn, which is now about 7.15 a.m., and it was still dark because of the heavy rain clouds, which did bless us with brief, intermittent spells of rain. It also was pretty cold. Well, its November after all!

No ravens to be seen anywhere when we got into the park, the same way as yesterday. 

There were some calls coming from Pontcanna Fields. 

We trudged through the mud to the raven field, again using the same route as yesterday. 

No ravens.

When we arrived in the raven field, at the first enclosure, I could just about make out one of them sitting on top of one of the goal posts at the upper end of the rugby pitch, and then, in the gloom, I saw one at the foot of that pole. 

We walked up to our enclosure, and the ravens came to greet us. It was too dark to make out which pair they were, but after throwing a few scraps I was pretty sure they were the young pair. One of them did scoff most of the food - but neither went to hide it in holes in the open ground. They also were more timid than my ravens yesterday. 

While I was feeding them, two ravens flew over the raven field, from Pontcanna Field, towards the other side of Llandaff Fields. No reaction from this pair, though.

These ravens flying over us might have been my ravens ...

Having walked round the enclosure and starting to go back to the spinney, one raven flew onto one of the fence posts of the enclosure and made some lovely, soft groaks.

We left along the 'no-more-food' walk, and neither raven followed us.

Bas turned up as we came to the big field: lovely and full of running. He is truly a magnificent dog!

Plans for tomorrow: same walk as today and yesterday, but start much later, to get to the little arboretum about 8 a.m., when it is much lighter. 

Hopefully that is when  and where we'll meet my bold raven again!

Keep fingers crossed ...

Nov 25th

Yes! I was right!

I found my bold raven!

We left the house earlier, around 7.30. It was light, some sun already out behind the clouds. During the night we had lots of very heavy rain, but it was dry when we came out. The wind was very strong (up to 30 mph) and it felt perishingly cold!

We used a different route into Llandaff Fields, which got us to the fields at the foot of the steep slope with the old quarries. No ravens anywhere, no raven calls. As we came to the far end of this field, one raven came and sat in the top branches of the oaks lining the steep path going up to Cardiff Road. Then another came, also sitting in that oak.

The first raven then flew down, as we got closer, and sat on the derelict stone drinking fountain. He watched. as we crossed into this field, which is really a small arboretum, and he then came to the ground, as did the other raven. I gave them a few scraps there and then - and saw that these were my ravens!

They followed us across into the ravens field, and sat on the fence posts of the first enclosure, where I haven't fed them at all. Giving some more scraps I noticed that my bold raven was rather diffident at first. We then went up to our original enclosure - but on the way, Archie, Duffy and Otis came bouncing up, so the ravens fled to our enclosure.

There, I reassured myself that these were indeed my ravens: their behaviour was as I've recorded below. The bold one, while still a bit diffident, scoffed as much as he could get, and flew off a few times to make his food-hiding holes in the open field. He made these in roughly the same areas as before.

Two ravens flew over us, quite high, but my ravens didn't bother looking up.

We went to the spinney the 'no-more-food'-way, and the bold raven followed us to the grassy patch in front of the Parks Dept shed. He had done just that before, the young pair never has.

He got some more scraps. Then he had a drink from the big puddle and got on with the rest of his day ...

I'm so glad I've found him again! I believe he was rather diffident to start with because he'd not seen me or got anything from me for quite a few days.

I also think that he and his companion are getting upset by the increasing number of lovely, bouncy dogs, who try to chase them. This is due to day light starting so much later now, and us dog walkers always get bunched together during these months.

Tomorrow, we'll get out earlier and use the same route as today. I hope my bold raven picks us up where he did this morning.