Rook behaviour in rookeries in November

[The Woodman]

By chance I parked under a rookery at lunchtime today and couldn't help watching the behaviour of the rooks above me through the sunroof.

The birds were paired up, one of each pair was on a nest and what appeared to be social communication going on; bill wiping and tail flashing were notable. Some pairs swapped over alternating their time on the nest.

Can anyone tell me what they were doing at this time of year, please?

I'm tempted to think they were reinforcing bonds in some way.

[Wild-Woman]

Witnessed the very same behaviour today. Like you say, bonding I should think as they are usually first off the blocks in the breeding season.

[Dogghound]

Spot on, what you have seen is birds bonding, these could be established pairs or 2nd winter birds establishing a pair. These birds court and attend the colony throughout autumn and winter into spring when egg laying occurs. They only really leave the rookery during late summer or if weather conditions/food availability forces them out. Rooks tend to court/nest/breed quite early in the year as they try to coincide the nestling stage with the damp spring weather when access to soil invertebrates is still qute easy.

[The Woodman]

Thanks both for the info and confirmation. Do rooks use the same nests if they remain unscathed throughout the winter?

[Dogghound]

Originally Posted by The Woodman

Do rooks use the same nests if they remain unscathed throughout the winter?

If they start to use the nest in Autumn then they usually lay eggs in it. However they rarely use different nests in different years, so they may finish using a nest when the chicks have fledged and move away to a different rookery for the following season. Usually if nesting has been successful they then lay in the same nest again the following year. Most birds are loyal to their nest site and destroying nests in autumn, winter and spring often results in them rebuilding the nest. Regular large scale destruction of nests and disturbance can result in them abandoning the rookery. I have noted this locally with grey squirrels in a sub-urban rookery.

[The Woodman]

That's great, thanks for the info Dan.

Looks like I've found a regular spot to be entertained whilst eating my chips!