The Horse Chestnut tree outside my bedroom window is becoming a hive of activity as the seven pairs of Rooks make a start on the new nests for this year. Last year's nests, all except one, have been torn down and twigs from the Horse Chestnut, or from further afield, are carefully placed in position. Getting the first stick to stay in the crook of the branch can often take several days, with any dropped sticks not being recovered but left littering my drive or the pavement.
Half a Wood Pigeon's egg shell on the drive among the sticks indicates an early hatching somewhere close, perhaps in the Pittosporum at the other side of the gate. I hope the chicks are surviving the recent frosty nights.
T
