Thursday, January 12/2023

Wake up to see the top of the palm tree next to the balcony whipping in the wind. The trunk of the tree, which is three storeys high is swaying like a dancer in the wind. Acuweather announces that there will be rain in four minutes, which moves me to go and rescue a couple of things still on the clothes line. Acuweather, as usual, not quite as acu as all that and four minutes unduly alarmist but clothes more than dry.

A crow comes to the palm tree. There’s really not much to the crown of the tree. Very long trunk with disproportionately small topknot of a crown but what interests the crows is not the fronds but the rough, layered bark that provides endless excellent stash spots for food. And, like American crows, hooded crows here are omnivorous and also accomplished thieves. Bird retrieving food from the palm tree not necessarily same bird that stashed it there. We don’t usually see more than one crow at a time, unlike our crow family at home and presumably our particular tree only one of many food cupboards in the area.

Hooded Crow, photo RSPB