Jackdaw Rescue

After spending a day felling scrub at Upton Fen on the way home I received a call alerting me to the presence of a couple of birds seen flying around the lounge of a house belonging to an acquaintance in nearby Belton. The house is sometimes empty as the owner's primary residence is near Bristol. A neighbour had called him that day to report the net curtains in the front room being ripped by what she suspected to be a pair of Crows or Magpies. After collecting the key I nipped home to grab my ringing box and a small net with which I hoped to catch the villains.

Upon arrival there was no obvious sign besides papers everywhere, wall lights hanging at odd angles and a trail of bird excrement leading upstairs. All the downstairs rooms were duly checked - soot by the lounge fireplace hinting at means of entry - and doors closed to prevent re-entry; I climbed the stairs with trepidation. The bathroom was clear but the first bedroom looked as though it had been completely ransacked by the pair of Jackdaws who were clearly startled by my sudden appearance in the room. With the door closed the birds were quickly caught, bagged up and brought downstairs into the kitchen for ringing and processing. Two handsome and none the worse for wear Jackdaws were then released into the evening sky and a recommendation made for a chimney guard!

Adult Jackdaw

Yes, those curtains are as old as me!