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Jackdaw, St Ives, Cornwall; 10 Oct 2013.
The smallest of Britain’s crows, often seen in the company of Rooks, and often around our chimney pots, although nowhere near universally so – they are always around the roofs of a road not far from our’s, but are only ever seen flying over us. Often in pairs, they mate for life.
Their calls – raucous chattering and variations on “tjack” – are one of the characteristic sounds of this country, and I love them for that.
The backdrop here is the sunlit sea – its worth going down to St Ives just to see all this beautifully coloured water!
D800 with 70-300 Nikkor at 300mm; 400 ISO.
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FATman Photos 
Very wise birds. My favourite birds are Jackdaws, Crows AND of course the Raven. And yes, Jackdaws are so charming with their “tjack, tjack”… And this that they mate for life, that’s so cute.
By the way, I’m very good at imitating the Raven, I always communicate with them and they always answer me. Wise and intellectual birds (Crows, Jackdaws and Ravens).
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I love crows too – but I’ve never thought of imitating Ravens. When I led safaris in Kenya, I could imitate and attract many birds, mostly by whistling – my mother taught me to whistle when I was very young. But I used to able to attract Narina Trogon (see them on Google images, they are sensational!) by making a kind of high pitched yelling call – “WOO-HOO WOO-HOO!”.
I think Ravens are commoner in Sweden but they have made a good recovery here – they are even sometimes over our house here in Bristol’s suburbs >>> if I get a chance, I’ll call to them – and have everyone staring at me! 🙂
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I agree beautiful colouring.. such lovely birds..
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Thank you, Helen! A
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I wondered if these birds were crows. I saw them here before, I think. They are smaller with a bit lighter plumage. We have ugly grackles here. I suppose they are of the crow lineage too. In NC, we had regular black crows some of whom could talk. I love this image with the unusual blue-green water behind the Jacktaw. It’s nice, Adrian. I have to pass on the extra sweet coffee and the malts since my geriatric gut rebels given the slightest offence.
Have an outrageously Happy New Year, Adrian. 🙂
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Hello, George! I absolutely love your wishes for an OUTRAGEOUSLY happy new year – you really are a very real and alive person, it is a great pleasure talking with you! 🙂 I’m sorry to hear that you can’t indulge in the malts – but you seem pretty well up on the goodies in your local coffee shop – I think that’s a wonderful post!
I’m intrigued by the NC crows “some of whom could talk” – wow! That’s some country you have over there!
You have an outrageously good New Year too, my friend, and I look forward to lots more communication with you in 2014! Adrian 🙂
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Beautiful image! We often see them making nests in people’s chimneys.
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Thanks, M! A 🙂
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Such a lovely shot Adrian .. just that little bit different with the background of milky jade coloured water – very complementary to Mr J’s plumage !
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Milky jade describes it exactly! Glad you like it! And a Happy New Year to you both – all good wishes for 2014! Adrian 🙂
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His quizzical expression seems to match very well your penchant for delving below the surface into nature’s deeper levels. Good shot–and keep it up!
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Gary, thank you very much – and I do hope that your eyes are recovering as they should be – all good wishes from me! Adrian
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One of my favourite birds.
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Good – glad I posted it! I was a birder for decades prior to a decade back, and this has left me with a deep love for and appreciation of many common English birds – they give character to the place and are an integral part of it – and this is one of them. A
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I’m an inveterate snapper of birds.. though I’m equally happy just to observe and listen… they are fascinating creatures.
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Inveterate snapper? How very 1930s! >>> I’ve just started the day as I don’t mean to go on, with a sweet and very strong coffee, and a glass of malt. It would of course be sacrilege to pour the malt into the coffee, but kept separate they go very nicely together, if you catch my increasingly drifting drift, and, most importantly, my (certainly tarnished around the edges) sense of decorum is not affronted …. well, not much anyway …. no more than usual … ..
Birds are fascinating – but certainly one step removed, by which I mean its possible to have quite a close relationship with a dog (especially – as you know) or cat, but birds are that bit more alien and distant.
Hope you’re fine this morning, Sue. Any food left after feeding your voracious sons yesterday??? Adrian
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I’m an old fashioned girl at heart 😉
I do not approve of malt in coffee… I know… I may be shot for that… but taken separately but contiguously… that is an entirely different matter 🙂
I breakfasted on mince pies… a small decadence, I feel, in the greater scheme of things. If I say it myself I am a dab hand with pastry… comes of being taught to bake by a Victorian great-granny.
Yes, birds are still wild things… something we haven’t managed to tame, even the domesticated ones, really. And when they interact with us it is by choice not dependency.
I love that.
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No, no, not approving of malt in coffee puts you squarely in there with “The Civilised”. And contiguously’s good, tho I have a feeling that if I tried to drink them in that way I’d get one or other all over my lap. It would either be a falsetto “YIKES!!!” or a grievous loss.
Mince pies for breakfast are good – do you make meat pies too??? You know, crusty … no, no, the pies, the pies … steak and kidney … lots of gravy … that sort of thing …?????
Choice not dependency is a good notion – never thought of it like that – thanks.
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Adrian…you sound like a hungry man… I can bake anything… 🙂 Suetcrust… flaky.. shortcrust…
I don’t much these days… seems a bit pointless unless I am feeding people… My son said this morning though that my Christmas cakes are the best thing about Christmas… and that is nice as they are a recipe that has come down through the generations of my family on the distaff side.I like that continuity. 🙂
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Hungry? Well I am The FATman after all! But oh … shortcrust … … and yes, no point in baking unless you’re feeding people.
And in just the same way, my late mother’s Christmas cakes were the best, although I’ve no idea where she got the recipe from.
I shall close with a lifestyle tip. If you’re doing nothing else in particular later on, starting the day with two strong, sweet coffees and two glasses of malt is a most pleasurable experience 🙂
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Sounds good to me… unless I’m driving… which sadly, I do every day to get to work… even Christmas… 🙂
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