Yesterday dawned grey and wet, the first real downpour we’ve had for a while. Low grey cloud, clinging to the land like a wet shirt to skin. Despite the gloom, the rain was welcome, a local weather station recording Hoys driest and warmest February for 35 years. I’d agree with the driest, but at home many a day in February brought cutting Easterlies, straight off the sea with a windchill that you felt in your bones. Yesterday though was warm and calm, the rain clearing by midday to give an afternoon of mist and soft light.
I wrote last year of a Ravens nest that sits tucked on a ledge in a steep sided geo, close to the farm of Snelsetter on the island of South Walls. I’ve kept an eye on it for a few years now and have become almost protective of the birds, seeking them out each Spring like old acquaintances. Hoping that they have made it through the winter.
The nest is an untidy pile of Kelp stems, every year winter storms wreck it and every spring the birds patiently rebuild it, collecting kelp from the shore and, when the major works are done, lining the nest with beakfuls of wool picked up from the heath.
Last year you could see the nest from the clifftop, a narrow squint giving a birds eye and slightly vertigo inducing view. This year the rock that you stand on to look through the squint, has a fissure as deep as your arm, slowly but surely pulling away from the cliff face. The nest is in no danger, the rock, when it falls, will miss it by some margin but to stand on the rock now would be an act of folly. Plan B, to see if a clutch had been laid, was to fit a long lens, hold the camera in an outstretched hand, point down and shoot blind, firing the shutter repeatedly until the screen at the back showed that a lucky shot had captured the nest.
There were five eggs in the nest, four were near identical, the fifth, paler and speckled with black. Had it been early summer and a smaller species of bird, blame for the odd one out might have been laid at the feet of a Cuckoo. I knew the birds weren’t sitting, both had watched from afar as I walked along the headland. Only when I got close to the nest site did they acknowledge my presence, the male leaving the female to circle and kronk a warning. When I walked off he followed, settling a few metres away, scolding me from a tussock of yet to flower sea pink.
The geo is on a favourite walk but for the next few weeks I’ll cut across the heath to leave them in peace. A typical clutch is five to seven eggs, it may be that more eggs are yet to be laid before incubation begins. In a few months I’ll seek them out again. Hopefully there’ll still be two adults, with a least five youngsters in tow.
A garden in Orkney 
Hi Gary, Its been gorgeous down here, lovely warm Spring weather, however back to chill middle of this week. Booo. Aren’t the eggs beautiful, such a gorgeous blue. You see Ravens here too, on the cliffs, fab birds! Was watching Crows busy repairing their old nest today. everything Spring like is about to happen. My favourite time of the year. Have a good week. Margot
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Morning Margot, we drew the short straw with easterly winds but that aside the past weeks have been mostly dry and bright, very unusual for this neck of the woods. As you say all change now, as with you this week looks set to be cold with a fair bit of rain and sleet I saw an article from the met office that says there is an 80% chance of another Beast from the East, I hope they are wrong, we’re just starting to see the first queen bumblebees and as you say it feels, even this far north, that spring is just around the corner.
The Ravens eggs are beautiful, I’d love to know why there was an odd one out. We have a Carrion crow here who has fallen for a Hooded crow, they nest in a nearby pine and raise youngsters of various shades of grey and black, not quite hoodies, not quite carrion, They were collecting nesting material in February so I would think, if they aren’t already, like the Ravens they’ll soon be sitting a clutch of eggs.
Have a good week
Gary
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Hi Gary no ravens here just rooks, crows and magpies, I love to hear the sound of the crows, am I strange hahaha. There is a definite decline in numbers of birds, we have a lot of bird flu in East Yorkshire and the bird feeders are rarely touched at rhe moment. We did have a feeding station in the bottom orchard but the squirrels move in and wreck them and then start stripping bark off the branches of the trees. We can’t win at the moment. On garden news the daffs are well in bloom, tulips are coming and crocus well gone, blossom is starting to show so all is well.
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Hi Pauline, no Magpies here, one did visit a few years ago, so rare it got a mention in the local paper. We got bird flu up here as well, I think the restriction to keep poultry indoors has been lifted though. Although there must have been an impact on smaller birds we didn’t really notice it but it hit winter visiting Barnacle geese hard and summer visiting Great skuas, the Barnacles seem to have recovered but Skuas are really noticed by their absence, very few of them around last year.
Fortunately no squirrels in Orkney! We had one in the garden in Yorkshire for a few years and it was a pain, stealing song birds eggs and wrecking feeders, we didn’t miss it when it left. First Daffs are out here, Snowdrops are still in bloom, Jacqui is busy splitting clumps of both and replanting them in new areas. White and pink currants are in flower but a real change weather wise this week, bright but bitterly cold yesterday, cold with sun and heavy showers today, rinse and repeat for the rest of the week…
Jacqui sends her love.
Ps, website is finally live, now trying to get my head around instagram.
http://www.fiftyninedegreesnorth.com
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I looked up both the crow types you mentioned and our crow to get comparisons. I’ve never seen a hooded crow before – how exotic they look! I saw flock of Snow Geese fly over this week, as I was working in the backyard. There were about 20 in a V formation headed northwest honking with a most un-Canada Goose noise. I read that they’re becoming regular visitors here now, but I’ve never seen a squadron before. Guess they were headed back to Wrangell Island off Alaska.
Look forward to more news of your raven pair. What beautiful eggs!
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Hello Penny, I can still remember seeing my first hoodie, at Spurn point on the Holderness coast, on a truly wild winters day. They’re not really a bird of the East Yorkshire coast but as with the carrion crow up here, there’s always an exception to the rule. I can’t find anything online but I’m told the local collective term for hoodies is a cauldron.
I envy you the sight of the Snow geese, there was a solitary Snow goose on Orkney mainland for a while, the jury was out as to whether it was a truly wild bird or an escapee from a waterfowl collection. Barnacle geese are on the move here, twice this week we’ve had skeins pass low over the house, heading North, back to Greenland. I look forward to their return in Autumn.
The Treeline arrived, a wonderful book that is absorbing, uplifting and depressing at the same time. Seth Kanters Shopping for Porcupine, which gets a mention in Treeline, and was found on Ebay for a couple of £’s, is on its way.
I’ll report back on the Ravens in a couple of months, they feel like old friends.
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Hi Gary I’ll check out the website and Instagram I’m on Instagram I’m @ciderwithrozie let me know your Instagram name and I’ll follow you.
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Hi Pauline
@fiftyninedegreesnorth, I’ve put a request on ciderwithrozie.
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Can’t find the button to reply to a reply, but thanks for the book reference! Immediately put it on hold at the library, while I finish reading the Canadian equivalent book:
The Right to Be Cold by Sheila Watt-Cloutier | Penguin Random House Canada
I’m also listening to this audiobook:
Arctic Dreams | Vancouver Public Library | BiblioCommons
Really enjoying the way he gives a perspective from the point of view of the animals. The perception of the world and seasons from an arctic tern which travels from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back annually was fascinating. Hoping the possible Orange Recession that may soon be precipitated here doesn’t mean my Canadian Artic tour won’t be able to go ahead (due to not enough people able to afford it).
I read two articles about the Orkney snow goose/geese, as I see you also had a pair of fly ins from Germany once.
Looking forward to seeing more of the raven family.
All the best to you and Jacqui.
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I can’t get the audio link to work but The right to be cold is now on my Ebay wants list 🙂
We’re crossing fingers for you that the tour goes ahead.
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Sorry, the audiobook link is from Vancouver public library. I checked and it’s also on Soundcloud, Audible, Kindle and Google Play Books. At least one of those gives you the first book free if you sign up for a free 30 day trial.
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