The Cronk, or raven as it is better known, (corvus corax) is now a common bird, and I am rarely out and about without hearing the typical cronk cronk sound of the call.They have a varied vocabulary and are very intelligent birds. Yesterday I heard a new sound emitting from one of a pair that have two nests in high monterey pines on Purbeck.The sound was a “What “repeated a few times with long intervals. Ravens are early nester’s and the chicks usually fledge before May.It is then that hobby falcons often take over the nest to rear their young.The ravens do not seem to mind this as they abandon the nest until next breeding season where they add sticks and other debris to the construction.
On one of the pines within the group was a rare fungus Phellinus pini.
This huge old veteran birch is a rare site to see, and it is possibly over a hundred years old. There are many good old trees dotted around that are not registered and so it takes people to find them and have them logged into the data base.
Many large old trees are being destroyed by land owners without the knowledge from authorities. Even hedges are being pulled up and destroyed or badly cut. Dorset is one of the worse counties for neat hedges and especially on Purbeck, where the wrong kind of cutting equipment is more often used than not.This can result in badly damaged hedgerows and effects the wildlife that need the hedge.This is a prime example of a badly cat hedge.
The odd thing about it, is that it is on a local wildlife trust reserve where there were doormouse boxes put into the hedge.I also see many hedges being cut now at this time of year when birds are starting to nest!I see all kinds of land mismanagement over recent years, some by landowners or conservation bodies that should know better.
I found this rove beetle (Staphalina caesareus ) under the raven trees.
And a lovely spider , The fence post orb weever( Nuctenia umbratica) in another place.
