Invasion of the Birds

In Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, some of the suspense was generated by shots of a large flock of crows gathering outside a school.  Whilst the recent invasion of our garden by a small flock of crows (or to be more exact, corvids) wouldn't have excited any film directors, it was certainly an unusual event.  The corvids involved were mainly jackdaws, though there have been both crows and rooks among them.  Though we have lived here for more than four years, we have never had such a large flock in the garden and a visit by any corvid apart from magpies is a rare event.  I suspect that the reason for the invasion is to do with hunger.  I think that the combination of dry weather and the population increase as the new chicks fledge has caused pressure on their normal foraging grounds of fields and grassland, where they pick up small invertebrates and seeds.  A few of them have even learned to use the bird feeders - a comical sight as they cling on to small perches designed for sparrows, etc.  As to being threatening, which Hitchcock's birds were, quite the opposite is true.  They only appear early in the morning and fly off at the slightest noise from the house.  A friend in Three Oaks has noticed a similar influx.  They certainly have a huge appetite, but jackdaws are the most charismatic members of the crow family, and they are welcome to whatever seed we can provide.

Jackdaws - Corvus monedula