[in the hills]

For two years now a neighbour, not too far from here, has been targeted by 'big black birds'. The 'big black birds' wake them at 6 o'clock each morning by taking it in turns to repeatedly fly at their kitchen and bathroom windows, pecking and squawking. Neighbour found it quite scary to start with and has tried various ways of deterring them. They thought it was ravens and usually at least 4 of them. They leave marks (like the one that is left if a small bird flies into your window) from top to bottom of window .... just covered!

Well this morning ... they are here!!!   A holy fuss they were making at 6 o'clock ..... doing exactly the same thing to our windows. The noise!!!!!

Bit blurry eyed, but not ravens, too small. Crows or rooks . 4 of them.

What on earth???!!!!! 

[Fleecewife]

Are you sure they're not Jackdaws?  They are early risers and make a whole lot of clacking noise right outside our bedroom window, starting at 4am at the moment.  I imagine they are hitting the window either because they are attacking their own reflections, or there's something good inside.  Try hanging a cloth or garden fleece over the outside of the window when you're asleep, so there's no reflection.


In spite of getting woken up every morning long before I want to, I really like Jackdaws.  I love the fact that they stay together in family groups all year and I love their bright intelligence.  They can give a death stare sometimes, and they demolish the fat blocks we put out for small birds in a few hours, but we just hope that means they take fewer eggs and nestlings.

Crows are usually alone, and although rooks can be seen in groups they don't generally haunt human habitation.

[Q]

For two years now a neighbour, not too far from here, has been targeted by 'big black birds'. The 'big black birds' wake them at 6 o'clock each morning by taking it in turns to repeatedly fly at their kitchen and bathroom windows, pecking and squawking. Neighbour found it quite scary to start with and has tried various ways of deterring them. They thought it was ravens and usually at least 4 of them. They leave marks (like the one that is left if a small bird flies into your window) from top to bottom of window .... just covered!

Well this morning ... they are here!!!   A holy fuss they were making at 6 o'clock ..... doing exactly the same thing to our windows. The noise!!!!!

Bit blurry eyed, but not ravens, too small. Crows or rooks . 4 of them.

What on earth???!!!!! 

Pictures or it didnt happen ! 

[regen]

They are probably Carrion crows. Usually its only one -the resident male who on seeing a reflection has to attack.
there has been a recent case near me but its always the front screen of the land rover and always soon after first light.. If 3 or 4 are present then it is possibly the male and this years brood.

Regen

[in the hills]

Well haven't managed to work out how to post photos on here, Q, so you'll have to take my word for it.

We often have chaffinches that attack their own reflection in the windows or car mirrors so guessing that you're right regen and it's a similar thing that they're doing but they seem far more menacing!

Definitely not jackdaws FW. It's odd but have  never seen a jackdaw here.

Hope they don't make it a regular thing ..... they're driving my neighbours mad!

[regen]

we had a male chaffinch which spent all last summer attacking the bathroom window but they are not the only ones. Great tits and  pied wagtails will also have a go particularly at car wing mirrors.  Its not new as i can remember pied wagtails attacking the old chromium hub caps.

But none of these can match a crow on a car windscreen at 05.00 hrs.

Regen

[Buttermilk]

My friends gander made a bit of a mess to a parked car.