THE rooks are busy rebuilding their nests, happily cawing away, as they flit to and fro, carrying twigs and other material. Jackdaws are chattering on chimney pots and hollow trees, as carrion crows and magpies are busily staking out their territories—it’s all go in the corvid world. By this time of year, the mighty raven will have already nested high in a solitary tree or cliff face and the buff-coloured jay, a master of the wood, will be moving stealthily through the trees, only letting out that raucous screech call in alarm.
Overall, the corvid family is doing well. Most are increasing substantially or are stable at high numbers, with the exception of the red-legged and billed chough, which is now restricted to the West and the Isle of Man.
Corvids are some of the most intelligent species of bird on the planet, thriving thanks to being generalist feeders that enjoy a wide-ranging diet from seeds and insects to meat, dead and alive. They’re monogamous and sociable. It’s because of these characteristics that this supremely successful family has always come into conflict with Man. Long before game shooting, gamekeepers or conservation, creatures that deprived us of precious food or affected our standard of living were on the hit list.
Denne historien er fra March 30, 2022-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra March 30, 2022-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
