Finally! a few dry days have brought a welcome break from the rain, and a chance to catch up on some rather urgent gardening...but my binoculars are always close to hand, and I've been watching our very own "soap opera" unfold around the cliff-face across the river below the house. Our local pair of Kestrels patrol their patch diligently every day, and to say they've got their work cut out would be an understatement...

After arriving some time before Christmas, our new pair of Ravens are showing no signs of moving on, and look to be establishing a territory right on our doorstep. These huge corvids are a majestic sight as they soar along the ridge, and their "cronk...cronk" calls are a familiar sound these days. The crags and ledges of the cliff may well provide them with the perfect nest-site...but the Kestrels seem in no mood to share. It's worth remembering at this point that the Raven is the size of a Buzzard: its wingspan is twice that of the Kestrel and with up to five times the body weight it's a potent adversary...this hasn't stopped the falcons defending their territory furiously, with the male and female teaming up to noisily drive off the new arrivals.

It's not just Ravens that they've taken exception to...I've watched a Sparrowhawk get exactly the same treatment over the last few days. As is often the case I heard the commotion before I saw it, glancing up just in time to see them once again enforce the "no fly-zone" and chase the trespasser away, leaving them to celebrate with their excited "kee kee kee kee" calls.

Over the last couple of days the plot has taken another interesting twist, with the arrival of...more Kestrels. There has been a third and at times a fourth individual swirling and soaring over the valley with our resident pair...quite what this all means isn't entirely clear to me at this precise moment in time! With our Lesser Kestrels due to return from African wintering grounds at any moment things are about to get even more complicated...and if I'm honest I wouldn't have it any other way. Whatever happens, we'll keep you up to date with all the news so please, as always, keep checking the reports!