Raven

[Woodlandguy]

I saw a raven yesterday in west Sussex by the village of Eartham. I have never seen one in Sussex in 15 years of walking there. Can anyone tell me if they have been introduced or just turned up or whether I have mistaken it for a crow with a sore throat?

replies gratefully appreciated

wg

[faz]

were there any special features about it like a shaggy beard ? it may well be a raven or carrion crow

[Woodlandguy]

Yes Faz, It had the shaggy beard when it cawed, I double checked this in the book. It also had the thick heavy beak and was slightly bigger than a crow. It was a raven, I recognise him from the ones I've seen in Snowdonia. It did not do it's acrobatic flight though, it just perched on the top of a pine and made some very amzing throaty sounds.

[Dorts]

Great to think they may have now found their way down to Sussex, (or perhaps your bird was just a one-off, who knows? ).
The Raven's call is shorter and much less harsh than the Carrion Crows. They have many calls, some of which I liken as a cross between a frog and a small dog, and almost musical.
We are fortunate to have them around us all-day, every-day. They are very vocal, especially when in pairs or groups and are rarely silent.
They are half as big again as a Rook or Carrion Crow, so quite unmistakable really. When close-to and in flight, their wing beat gives the same sound as that of a Swan in flight.
Great birds!
Dorts.

[Dogghound]

They are continually spreading east as the population increases. There are breeding birds in thesouth east now (i.e. Kent).

[Woodlandguy]

I've got him on film, and if I can ever work out how to get it on youtube I'll let you know.

[aeshna5]

As Dogghound says they have been increasing + spreading eastwards + there are a few pairs along the south coast now. We even have occasional records in the outer London area from time to time; there was a pair for some time around Epping Forest earlier this year + occasional sightings in the Herts sector that Roy will know more about.

Great sighting for you.

[tom999y]

Originally Posted by Woodlandguy

I saw a raven yesterday in west Sussex by the village of Eartham. I have never seen one in Sussex in 15 years of walking there. Can anyone tell me if they have been introduced or just turned up or whether I have mistaken it for a crow with a sore throat?

replies gratefully appreciated

wg

Must be getting common eh, in the last 2 weeks i have spotted 4 in Leics & never in previous 60 odd years Note the Wedge tail

[tom999y]

Must be getting common eh, in the last 2 weeks i have spotted 4 in Leics & never in previous 60 odd years Note the Wedge tail

[RoyW]

I have no idea how common Ravens are in Sussex now, but I would expect that the situation is very similar to other counties in the south-east: small numbers of individuals and pairs moving in from the west, and perhaps a breeding pair or two. They are spreading west in the same way as Common Buzzards, but they have taken longer to do so. In twenty or thirty years time they may be as numerous in the south-east as Buzzards are now.