The Early Bird ………….

…… catches the worm ! or so they say.

I live in the countryside and am often woken early in the morning, especially during the spring and summer, by the dawn chorus.

Over the last 4 or 5 weeks the the sound of one particular little chick has been getting louder and louder, it sounded like it was singing right outside the bedroom window.  Now the house is old and has chimneys and fireplaces in all rooms,most of the chimneys are blocked or have interior shutters in them. Last week the noise was getting louder and louder and, a little investigation showed that there is probably a Jackdaw`s nest in the chimney on top of the shutter in the fireplace!

A Jackdaw

Now this little fellow, and I`m sure there is only one chick, is a very noisy individual! He now starts chirping at 4am every morning! When we go upstairs he talks to us – answering our voices and sounds with ever increasing squeaks ! To make things worse the dogs love him too – responding to his noise with whines and woofs as they gaze into the fireplace, in vain,  trying to find the little bird.

Young Jackdaw

Apparently it is quite common for Jackdaws to nest in chimneys and buildings. The parents drop vast amounts of twigs, rags, bark, soil and amny other materials, down the chimney to make a nesting platform. The smooth, glossy pale blue eggs are marked with blackish-brown, and approximately 36 mm by 26 mm. The female incubates the eggs by herself. After the young hatch, they are fed by both parents. They will try to get the young bird out by creating a “stepladder ” of debris for it to climb up towards the top of the chimney. The little fellow is obviously being well fed as his noise gets louder every day.

 Reading this it all sounds lovely, but talk about the early bird, more like the early morning call !!