Corvids are top of the bill (or (beak) at festival

OVER this bank holiday weekend, I will be camping out at the annual Strummercamp Festival listening to some raucous music and doing a bit of dancing.

- ALAN WRIGHT

While I am lying in my tent in the mornings, I will also be listening to other noisy characters who always look as though they are having a great time.

In that field in Oldham Rugby Union Club's lovely bowl of wild flowers, I will be listening to croaks and caws from magpies, jackdaws and crows.

Is it just me or are there more magpies around at the moment? My arm is actually getting sore from saluting these corvids on my walks in the countryside.

Most people's idea of a punk rocker is someone dressing in colourful clothing with rainbow mohawk haircuts, but most of us do dress predominantly in black.

So are corvids the punks of nature? Most of them are black or black-and-white, but there is the odd burst of colour with the lovely jay.