Young crows

Young birds are a common sight at the moment, be it clamouring brown starlings beseiging harassed parents, dead young blackbirds by the roadside or mallard ducklings being herded by their mother as they forage in every direction. Then there are the crows. On consecutive days we came upon these two. The first is a young jackdaw that hasn't yet shed all its downy feathers or lost its coloured gape. It let me approach dangerously close in Bosbury churchyard for my shot. So too did this young carrion crow, one of two unkempt looking youngsters calling for food from their parents. The latter wouldn't go to them when we were so close and eventually the youngsters realised this and went further away to be fed.

photo 1 © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

photo 2 © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Jackdaw

The first syllable of the name of the jackdaw (Corvus monedula) is onomatopoeic, being akin to the bird's call that is frequently transcribed as "tchack". The second syllable, "daw" is the old (at least fifteenth century) name for black, crow family members, especially the jackdaw, and also given on the basis of their "cawing" call. English church towers and spires, offering the cliff-like nesting sites favoured by jackdaws, are locations where the bird is often found. The jackdaw in the photograph was at the very top of a churchyard yew tree a few yards from the church tower.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P900