Playful Messengers of Yore
Ravens have returned again to Sussex to breed, a pair last year successfully rearing two young after an absence of 56 years.
The pair, whose nesting site was on the top of a very large fir tree in a dense West Sussex forest, was suspected by birdwatchers to have been shot by local gamekeepers, but my own first hand observation, witnessed by my wife, presumes this to be untrue.
I first saw a raven flying over my house back in 1998, The croak which can be heard half a mile away in good conditions, warned me of its approach and sure enough within 20 seconds there it was, travelling west and just skimming the treetops. A bird travelling along, I thought, en route for the West Country.
For the complete feature, see the West Sussex Gazette, February 2.