Ravens are in the town

IN today’s world of technological gadgetry people’s attention is focused on their tablets or phones etc. in the street or countryside. The implication here is that they are possibly unaware of the wildlife that surrounds them.

I wonder how many people have seen the ravens (Corus corax). It is the largest of the crow family and is generally found on the west side of the country. But we have a nesting pair here in Hinckley with other sightings in our surrounding districts.

They are mainly a shy bird but frequently seen by keen amateurs from the Hinckley Natural History Society on the high mast which lie in the grounds of the gas network buildings. The public tend to overlook these birds and are drawn towards rare raptors like the peregrine falcon as seen in Leicester city on the cathedral.

The raven is also rare but gets mistaken for a carrion crow or rook, but is much larger with a wingspan of 2 feet (approx.65cm) with a diamond shaped tail in flight and utters a loud and deep ‘cronk’ call as it flies.

In winter other infrequent birds such as waxwings and hawfinch’s are seen by our members (originally formed 46 years ago to observe birds but has since expanded to encompass all forms of wildlife) of which can be seen on our website :-www.hinckleynaturalhistorysociety.com it gives people an opportunity to contact us if they have wildlife concerns or to see some of the latest sightings. The website is frequently updated with new photographs in the gallery and blog sections.