Jackdaws

[disco]

I've lived in the same house now for 10 years. My neighbours have had frequent visitations and lodgers in the form of jackdaws until they spoilt their fun and put a cowl on the chimney! Well,the jackdaws continued to hang around and this year have spent alot of time sitting on the roof of my outbuilding,and,when they finally pluck up the courage,fly down into my backyard and partake of the seed I leave out for the ground feeding birds on their tables. This is the first time in all those 10 years that I have seen jackdaws do this and can't say that I've seen them actually feed in other back yards or gardens. Could this be to do with the dry conditions and maybe a shortage of their usual food so they take advantage of what I'm putting out for other birds? Or is this natural behaviour elsewhere? If anyone got any ideas please let me know,I'm intrigued!! P.S. Also had a rook on my bird table eating seed (which was not an easy thing to do with such a long beak) - another first this year!

[artdemole]

They are around here when food is on the ground.Such a lot of noise the young are making now.See them all the time.