View From The Shed by Shaun Finnie - BIRDS FROM THE DARK SIDE

BIRDS FROM THE DARK SIDE

As we move towards the darker end of the year it's time to turn our eyes and ears skywards. It's a time of cold, grey skies and bare spindly trees. The cold, damp, gloomy conditions aren't great for many birds – or many birders. Lots of individuals from both groups seem to hunker down and hide for the winter. Sometimes it seems that the only birds in the air are the ones that group together in dubiously-named flocks.

It's the Season of the Corvid.

With that in mind, this week's View From The Shed is Volunteer Shaun's handy-dandy guide to this most intelligent group of birds. I've included descriptions, trivia, collective nouns and even had a stab at emulating the kind of sounds they make. Starting with the most common one of all...

MAGPIE

Many people are surprised to learn that the lowly Magpie belongs to the same family of birds as the mighty Raven. We all know this inquisitive animal is famously black and white (and blue... and purple... and green...) but imagine if it were painted a solid glossy black. Does that make it easier to see the similarity? They're not universally loved but they are very adaptable to a multitude of environments. You'll see them all over.

A group of Magpies is a Gulp or a Mischief.

Magpies rattle like an old wooden football rattle (ask your grandparents).

JAY

This is the black sheep of the group. The Jay is the most uncorviddy Corvid there is. It's shy where the others are gregarious. It's usually quiet (unless it's disturbed) where the others are noisy. It's more often than not a solo operator whereas it's cousins are mostly party animals. And most of all, it's not black. It's definitely not black. If you see a bird that looks like a Jackdaw but appears to be mainly blue, or maybe pink, but then again it could be striped.... that's a Jay.

A group of Jays is a Party or a Scold.

Jays squeal like a pig, but only when alarmed (which is quite frequently).

JACKDAW

The irritating little brother of the family, Jackdaws look like noisy little Crows wearing grey helmets (old people, read that as 'Balaclavas'). Their piercing pale blue eyes betray their intelligence, and they can be found anywhere and everywhere, up and down the country.

A group of Jackdaws is a Train.

Jackdaws shout, “Jack! Jack!”. They say this a lot and at high volume, and they reply to each other in a constant squabble.

CHOUGH

This one's a bit unusual but it's probably my favourite bird in the group. Bright red legs and beak set them apart from Jackdaws and they find their food by sticking that blood-red curved dagger of a nose into soft ground and truffling out various creepy crawlies. They live on the western edge of the United Kingdom, hanging on to the rocky right hand side of our island. Chough numbers are low but are slowly improving with conservation efforts. As I've so often said before, thank you for your monthly RSPB subscription – giving Choughs a home at reserves like South Stack at Anglesey has made a real difference to their numbers.

A group of Choughs is a Clattering.

Choughs sound like Crows but speeded up; theirs is a much higher-pitched and shorter call.

As an aside, if you happen to see a Chough with yellow extremities instead of the usual red bits then you're probably on holiday. This would be the Alpine Chough and, as its name suggests, it lives exclusively in those big snowy hills in mainland Europe.

CARRION CROW

This is the big chap that has noisy group roosts in trees. You might see these picking at roadkill – hence the 'carrion' part of its full name. They are among the cleverest of all birds, capable of solving problems that would make a chimp scratch its head.

A group of Crows is a Mob or a Murder.

Crows say, “Caw!”, and they say it like they mean it.

If you're reading this in Ireland or on Scotland's crinkly coastline then you might see the Carrion's hardier cousin, the Hooded Crow. These two are so closely related that until quite recently they were considered the same species but with a different costume. Imagine the common Carrion Crow wearing a light grey sleeveless pullover and you've got the idea,

ROOK

If you see a large Crow with a really strange, lumpy, grey nose, then that Crow is actually a Rook. You're highly unlikely to see one on its own though as they're very sociable birds, even grouping up with others in the same family, especially Jackdaws. They walk with a comical stompy gait that never fails to make me smile. Embarrassingly, I have been known to try to do an impression of a Rook pacing about the room with my hands clasped behind my back. Give it a go, you know you want to.

A group of Rooks is a Parliament.

Rooks sound pretty similar to Crows.

RAVEN

This is the big daddy of the Corvid family. If one of these flies overhead it's like a cloud passing in front of the sun. This is one of those birds where a sighting is unmistakable. If you only 'think' you've seen one, then you haven't. Despite their official name of Common Raven, they're not at all common in our part of the country. They're usually seen to the west of the Pennines but there have been some local sightings recently.

A group of Ravens is an Unkindness.

Ravens say, “Bronk!”.

So that's my guide to the Crow family. See how many of them you can see on your next visit to Old Moor. And please, stay safe from the similar-sounding but much nastier Covid.