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Greg Morgan

As the breeding season progresses there are inevitable clashes between the island's avian residents. Ravens, the unofficial Lords of Ramsey given their Norse association with the island's original name Hrafns-ey (Ravens Isle) have a inextricable link to this land dating back over 1000 years. Chough, in many people's eyes the true owner of this title, may well have done battle with their arch enemies while Viking's sheltered in the bays of the island waiting for their chance to raid St Davids. They are commemorated in the cathedral in the St Thomas Becket window but there are claims this depiction could be relating to Cornish chough!

Either way both of these magnificent corvid species are now firmly placed in current Ramsey lore and while they often live in harmony ravens can cause problems for chough in the breeding season. Corvids as a family are clever birds and while chough have learnt to take refuge by nesting deep in protected caves, so ravens have worked out how to breach these defences at some sites. No doubt this battle of wits has gone on for generations with raven and chough living in balance with each other, some years chough lose young to their larger cousins, other years they out smart them. 

With our chough pairs now busy feeding young there are signs that 2020 will be a year of skirmishes, and raven raids on the homesteads of some of our chough look inevitable, but simply a part of nature. Despite the large rabbit population at the moment our ravens seem to be struggling this year. Early nests failed and those that relaid only have small broods about to fledge. A raid on a chough nest is a hazardous occupation and one not undertaken lightly. It is likely that such events occur more frequently in years when easier pickings are harder to come by.

The Raven - Lord of Ramsey? (photo: G Morgan)

Chough are not easily outsmarted and put up a good fight against their larger cousins (photo: G Morgan)

Away from the corvid dramas normal life went on. Today saw some fencing repairs carried out. One of the sheep had worked out to get into the fenced off enclosure that protects our water supply from livestock contamination. Luckily the ground was soft enough in this damp part of the island to bang new posts in, I wouldn't have fancied doing it in the rock hard exterior fields! So far in May we have had just 4mm of rain and nothing of note in the forecast for the rest of the month. Following the second wettest winter on record we recorded the second driest April which shows no sign of letting up.

Carrying out fencing repairs under the supervision of Dewi in his favourite spot

And finally this evening it looks as though our short-eared owls have hatched with both adults being seen actively hunting for the first time. They often move the young to a second 'nest' away from the area they were born soon after hatching. We will keep an eye out to see where ours end up