Visitors admiring the raven sculpture recently may have noticed the natural sound effects provided by a raven crowing from the top of the pylon just across the lake behind them. Both birds can be seen up there at times. Derek Ratcliffe in The Raven tells us ravens’ nests are notoriously inaccessible to humans or predators. There is no question about that with the nest high up on the left-hand side where the rectangle arm crosses the vertical tower, requiring binoculars to see it! Apparently ravens are also particularly accomplished nest builders which is perhaps no bad thing in the current storm.
More natural nest sites are on cliffs or tall trees such as Scot’s Pines but our ravens are not the only ones to use pylons in Dorset according to the Dorset Bird Club 2021 annual report. The pylons might not be our most aesthetic feature but it gives the ravens a marvellous vantage point to see off intruders. The Red Kite that flew over the kitchen garden last year was rapidly seen off by the ravens that charged in at high speed.
