New arrival adds to the bird family tally in my garden

PERHAPS it is appropriate that beneath an article featuring a picture of a churchyard I should be writing about crows, given their rather macabre associations.

But these much maligned harbingers of ill omen have become a cause for celebration in my west Dartmoor garden in recent days as I added a new member of the family to my list of sightings.

Rooks – two to be precise – have paid a visit for the first time that I can recall. The newly lopped willow tree provided the perfect perch and from there they swooped down to feed on grain beneath the apple tree.

Rooks differ in appearance from crows, having a pointed beak with a muddy-grey patch at the base, and the slightly peaked and glossy top of the head looks like it has been slicked back with Brylcreem and a comb.

These gregarious farmland birds have a rookery down in the valley, but little cause to head my way – and haven’t before as far as I am aware. Now I am working from home with a view of the garden I can spot new arrivals.

Of course the resident crows were far from happy at the interlopers and a noisy battle ensued, with the rooks outnumbered and beating a retreat. Having tasted the premier bird seed mix they will be back I’m sure...

Alongside the rooks and carrion crows I have regular visits from jackdaws and magpies, as well as the occasional jay. I also have ravens fly overhead now and again, though they have yet to touch down on the lawn.

All of which, including raven flyovers, now brings my crow family species tally to six. And it will remain stuck at that number.

Excluding the hooded variety of crow found in Scotland, the final family member is the chough. However, the chances of one drifting over from the Cornish coast and getting seriously lost on the moor around my way are slim at best.