In late autumn the resident Carrion and Large Billed Crows are joined by 2 other species............Daurian Jackdaw and (Eastern) Rook. These are winter vistors from the Asian mainland and are much shyer than the resident species.
There seem to be lot of the Jackdaws this year. About a dozen or so mixed in with the Rooks. The above crappy photo shows a grey phase adult with a Rook underneath.
They perch on high wires against grey skies and fly off as soon as you look at them, not ideal photo subjects. I guess I could be more patient but after growing up in the UK it's a little hard to get excited by rooks and jackdaws.............................
Good shot against th clear sky
ReplyDeleteHi Margaret, actually it was raining!
DeleteJackdaws are thriving here too, often at the expense of other hole dwellers. I've heard of them evicting Little Owls for instance.
ReplyDeleteHi Phil, yes I noticed lots of them when I visited the UK in spring. They were nesting on the roof of our B&B in Keswick for example...............
DeleteDaurian Jackdaws are still scarce here though and the closely related western European species is a major rarity this far east..............
Lovely contrast in these two corvids.
ReplyDeleteThe smaller one is definitely the more interesting of the two............
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