Living as I do under the flight path to and from Heathrow can be quite noisy at times, especially when aircraft are taking off and landing at full throttle. So I dread to think how that noise will increase if a third runway becomes a reality.
But I also live under a much more acceptable flight path, namely that of large flocks jackdaws winging their way to roost every winter's night. The flypast begins in mid-afternoon and continues for about an hour before dusk.
The birds fly in pairs, tens, twenties and up to a hundre at a time, 'chak-chaking' in unison in what is quite a musical sound. There must be up to a thousand birds involved flying past and directly in a south easterly direction either just above roof top height or sometimes much higher in a narrow corridor of about 200m across.
They fly over Wimbledon town centre and then onwards to Morden Hall park and beyond. It is something of a mystery to me as to why the jackdaws need to fly so many miles from Richmond Park and Wimbledon Common areas when those habitats seem ideal for roosting.
At first light next morning the birds fly back, usually in more fragmented leisurely fashion to their foraging grounds.
The young siblings pictured appear not to be on 'chaking' terms, probably arguing over half eaten trays of curry or muffin crumbs spilt outside the Richmond Park cafe!
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