I was in the garden scanning the trees and the grasses for birds – and other wildlife, when I heard the unmistakable “gull-gull” cry and saw this ‘clattering’ of jackdaws. They were flying down the valley towards the sea and then back and forth across the valley at the coast, as though they were larking around, having a bit of fun. A jackdaw up close has quite a big head, grey and sheeny with a black face and the grey fading to black down its body. It also has white eyes.
Jackdaws are quite sociable and roost in trees in large groups. They can be heard to chatter loudly at dusk in summer evenings, though not in our valley. There are obviously some around, but I think they actually roost further up the valley or on the hilltops. Being corvids, they are clever, and well-known for stealing eggs and baby birds and breaking into bird-feeders. They also eat insects, carrion, and fruit.