10 August 2022
Taking a break . . .
This afternoon, just before 16:00, I heard crows calling just outside the window and looking out, I saw three Pied Crows sitting around the female – who was sitting under the overhang down on the lower roof. Concerned for the chicks, I rushed up to the roof and climbed the ladder to check the nest. The chicks were lying together at the back of the nest dozing – so all OK! The crows were still circling around however and it took a bit of waving, clapping, shouting . . . and lots of bad language, before they moved off. (My apologies to anyone who may have witnessed the performance – without knowing the reason for my strange behaviour).
A while after the crows left, the female moved out from under the overhang but, instead of heading back to the nest, she flew to her spot in the Tea Garden. In past seasons, once the chicks were sufficiently grown, she would usually come off the nest early in the evenings and doze – either in a tree in the Tea Garden, or under the overhang on the roof. So ‘normal’ behaviour – at least for her!
By Geoff Lockwood