Country diary: Close (and not so close) encounters with the rooks | Sean Wood

Kirkcudbright, Dumfries and Galloway: The flock is a swirling black snowglobe, a thousand strongThe Liverpool-born poet Richard Le Gallienne wrote: "I meant to do my work today / But a brown bird sang in the apple tree." These words are very dear to me, as Fairy Hill Croft here in Galloway is full of things to turn the head, and with snow, rain, high winds and a couple of -10C days leading up to Christmas, life has been busy.The badger clans I wrote about in September have since then dug a total of 47 latrines down the lane and near my wood shed. Most of the badgers hit their target, but a few missed the hole completely, and not one backfilled. Clearly they need potty training. With my white beard developing nicely, this Santa also rescued a roe deer trapped in a fence, tripped over a squat woodcock (such clever camouflage), watched 200 Holsteins navigate the milking parlour, and disturbed three blue tits that were roosting in a deserted house martin's nest. A new tick for me. Continue reading...