The Rattling Crow

Africa · #1 (**permalink**) 20-12-2009, 11:08 PM

That's the name of my new bird blog, which refers to the mobbing call of the crow. Another bird blog? I know, I know, there are hundreds of bird blogs and competition is fierce. My interest is the behaviour and ecology of common, everyday birds, and I illustrate the posts with my own photos. I've only put together a few posts, but please, please, pay it a visit

and feel free to leave comments.
The Rattling Crow

posie · #2 (**permalink**) 22-12-2009, 12:55 AM

Hello, just for your interest 2 crows attacked one of my farm cats, (he is a very soppy tame fluffy ginger) ,they were trying to get mice out of the woodpile, when Ginger went a bit too close on his way home from the fields, they really went for him, but luckily he wasn't badly hurt, but very frightened...I didn't know crows ate mice, and I didn't know they attacked cats, though one did kill my poor little call-duck drake when he was defending his mate's nest of eggs she was sitting on. And one crow got very cheeky and stole my lunch, carrier bag and all, that I'd left in a spare stable, I saw it flying off with it. Also, I spent 5 weeks treating an injured pigeon (a racing bird that had flown in), I got it right, and healthy weight, and gradually built up it's flying, when it was perfectly better, out on a fly round one day, some crows mobbed it , killed it and had stripped most of the flesh off his bones by the time I got close enough to chase them off. As you can guess I was very upset.......Posie....

posie · #3 (**permalink**) 22-12-2009, 01:10 AM

Hi again Africa, I had a look at your blog, it's very interesting, and some very nice photos.....Posie...

Jason Green · #4 (**permalink**) 22-12-2009, 01:10 AM

Hi Af,

What a nice site! I often think our common garden birds are easily overlookied, and subseqently you probably don't look into their lives too much either. It's very interesting from what I've read so far, I'll be sure to return and go through the rest!

I'll go through 'ABugBlog' too... must've missed that one! Great work.

Take care,

Jason

Africa · #5 (**permalink**) 22-12-2009, 08:13 PM

Thank you posie and Jason. BugBlog is hibernating at the moment in wait for more invertebrate favourable times, I had so much fun writing it that i missed doing something else and that's why I started The Rattling Crow. Sorry about your cat posie. I have never heard of anything like it. I think crows do go for pigeons. They often sit near a pigeon roost on an abandoned church near home and I think they are 'checking them out' for weak or ill ones.

posie · #6 (**permalink**) 22-12-2009, 10:46 PM

I didn't think the crows wanted to eat the cat, they were chasing him away from their dinner.

SusieBee · #7 (**permalink**) 26-12-2009, 12:55 AM

Lovely Blog Africa, just what I'm looking for at the moment. Very interested in the behaviour of our Garden Birds, good read and great pics. Bookmarked.

Will now be looking to buy the book " Birds and Berries" by Snow & Snow (1988) you recommend, sounds like a good one.

Thanks

SusieBee · #8 (**permalink**) 30-12-2009, 11:11 PM

Only found one book for sale on ebay...£35. That's 2nd hand as well! Must be a good book!

I'll keep looking.

Jez · #9 (**permalink**) 31-12-2009, 10:20 PM

I've booked marked the page for future reading! Wishing you a Happy New Year Africa

Hedera · #10 (**permalink**) 01-01-2010, 11:47 AM

A very interesting site, Africa. I've been watching mistle thrushes eating cotoneaster berries on trees near, they worked their way down from the top branches and are now about 4ft from the ground, stripping as they go.
Blackbirds love my mahonia berries, they leap up from the ground for the lower berries and it's amusing to watch!