Dear LPG readers,

Where is your local park, and do you ever visit? Unlike so many of our pubs, churches, hospitals, and way too many of our high street shops, most of them have survived the gradual but national disappearing act that we have all been observers of, and continue to exist, but how often do the soles of your shoes and the grass of their ground’s interior ever make contact?

I often take a seat and observe the world going by from the park’s perspective.  It was one of the first things I became attracted to when I moved to Lewisham.  I have made many friends there, and while the human ones are nice to talk to, the winged ones caught my attention too. I find any conversation that we share to be a one-way dialogue where I do all the talking, but they do have a story to tell.

There are all sorts of birds to be seen in most of our parks.  Most of us notice the pigeons, but did you know that Crows, together with Rooks and Ravens, are all part of the Corvid bird family? 

When you consider their other closest winged relatives, they might be perceived as the poor relations. Over the years, the three pairs that have become a part of my local park’s population have always fascinated me, but then came the summer of 2022. This was the year when we could not cope with the heat, and not long after, there was a much larger number of crows living there. The three pairs suddenly became about forty, and the additions were all little ones. I have been visiting the park and watching them in particular over the past year, and they have grown in stature as well as in number. 

Back when there were just the six of them, I would bring my stale bread and peanuts down as an added meal and a reason to attract their attention, but now, about 40 of them come to see me for a treat daily. 

The swelling of their numbers provoked me to do quite a lot of reading and research into why this would happen, and I learned that during really hot summers, adult crows breed well. I got to recognise each of the original half dozen quite well, but now that we are at Lewisham Park, we have acquired a serious flock, and some individuals stand out more than others. I take a walk to my local park nearly every day, where all the single birds come to see what I have for them. However, according to what I have read, they will start pairing off during the next year or two. 

Apparently, at the ripe old age of about three, they are ready for the dating game, so I look forward to a bit of pairing off happening soon. They are in it for the long haul. I recently read some interesting facts about crows on the internet, and having been an observer for a few years now, what I read has confirmed all my observations. They do mate for life, store food and have giant brains for their size. What I have read also reveals that they recognise faces and can hold a grudge, but, on the other hand, the clan I have become acquainted with, also make a point of finding me when I make my daily park appearance.

I suspect that some people might see me as a bit of a crow lady, and I do admit to having become a bit knowledgeable on the subject. That makes me a bit of a closet-ornithologist. 

In my view, there is a lot that we humans can learn from the way that they interact. 

WO, Lewisham Park

WO shares her research....

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