It’s ‘murder’ when these gangs gather
IT’S that time of year again, the gangs are massing in noisy groups ready to huddle together as the cold creeps in.
I’m not talking about the gang of youths outside your local shop, although there seem to be fewer youngsters braving the cold to intimidate the oldies these days.
No, it’s the gatherings of birds and, in particular, the crows have been making some noise in our patch over the last few days.
They fill trees or land in groups on local fields and meadows, poking around in the grass and soil for food.
Crows are not as well known for massing like starlings and jackdaws, but we have had reports over the years of groups numbering in their hundreds.
The biggest were all on the West Pennine Moors – 700 on Delph Reservoir, 400 at Rivington Reservoir and Roddlesworth and 300 at Entwistle.
One spectacular gathering was 284 in Sefton Park in Liverpool.
A group of crows is called a ‘murder’.
Carrion crows are our most widespread species in winter, which mean you are very likely to see them if you are out and about.
By spring the birds will have split up, unlikely to nest in a colony.
Carrion crows are usually solitary birds.
They can grow up to half a metre long with a wingspan of just less than a metre – that is quite large for a bird.
A crow is completely black, including legs and bill, with a glossy sheen.
It is smaller than a raven and has a squareended tail, with no feathery ‘trousers’, like the rook, which also has a lighter bill.
Its hoarse cawing is a feature of woodlands and many tree-lined fields.
Its “caw, caw, caw” or
“kra kra”, can be quite eerie, especially if you are walking through a graveyard having watched the Blair Witch Project.
Then, when somebody banged against I tree, I ran like a four-year-old to the safety of the street lights.
In the trees and tall bushes you will notice the huge nests made from twigs, rags, bones and anything else they can find.
They feed on dead animals - as their name suggests - invertebrates and grain, as well as stealing eggs and chicks from other birds’ nests.
You will see crows throughout the north west, but they are never seen in the north west of Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man. So look out for the crows.
They are magnificent and intelligent birds and it is always a pleasure to hear and see them over winter.
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