Oxford Ornithological Society secretary Barry Hudson looks how the county’s birds are getting together for spring rituals

As the lengthening day-light informs us of the turning year, the birding enthusiast and, to a lesser extent, casual avian observer, realise that some of our early breeding birds have already started that great natural commitment of bringing into being the next generation of their species.

We have, in Oxfordshire, a substantial breeding population of the raven, a bird that, for most of my life, was absent from the county and, in fact, a bird that only had a place on my ‘wish list’.

Fortuitously, for some years now, it has bred in our county and I will confidently claim that there are very few large estates in the county that do not carry a pair or two of nesting ravens these days.

These early nesting birds will often have eggs in the nest in February, with young hatching in March. They have traditionally timed the appearance of chicks to coincide with the lambing season, giving good opportunities to scavenge the unfortunate stillborn and weakly lambs that succumb to the difficulties of trying to establish their lives at this early stage.

The mistle thrush is also an early breeder, laying eggs in February and prepared to pugnaciously protect its nest against all comers sometimes including humans, who may venture too close to the nesting territory.

This bird is a close relation of a more familiar garden visitor, the song thrush, that brings itself to our attention with its liking for snails and its habit of whacking them against a stone in order to remove the shell, thereby exposing the inner soft and edible nutritious flesh.

Both these thrushes are known and recognised by the repeated phrases in their songs, although the mistle thrush usually gives forth its particular rendition from an exposed perch and is noted for its perseverance in continuing to sing during a storm, with a song that sounds similar to that of the blackbird.

Having only arrived in Britain in the 1950s, the collared dove is now a very well established and common breeding bird in our county.

There are several reasons for this avian population explosion, not least being their ability to raise three and sometimes as many as six broods in a season.

In mild winters, they have been known to breed in all months of the year that the temperature remains what could be termed “collared dove friendly.”

The song of the collared dove is a little cuckooish in sound and they are often the wrongful basis for the reporting of the first cuckoo of spring; although, with cuckoos struggling to cope with the modern world, perhaps this is sometimes no more than optimism for a bird once common and still much loved.

The grey heron is another early breeding British bird that nests in tree-top colonies and Oxfordshire is fortunate in having some pretty good nesting sites for this large skinny bird; apparently all skin, bone and feather. Even when it is not seen, it can be easily recognised by its rasping, kronking call.

When seen on the wing, it looks huge, with a very wide wingspan and long-shaped neck, attached to which is a vicious looking, dagger-like large beak that it uses to feed mainly on a variety of fish, but also frogs and young chicks, if they or their parents have been lax enough to give this opportunist the chance to get close enough.

The Oxford Ornithological Society welcomes all who have an interest in birds and birdwatching. Contact Barry Hudson on 07833 350 288 for more information.