After 140 years of absence, Ravens are returning to Suffolk and, this year, they have been seen in Bredfield.
On 1st March 1921, Paul Wigens was alerted by a distinctive ‘gronk, gronk’ call above. When he looked up, three Ravens were flying overhead. They were seen twice again the same day, and once again the next day, by another observer. At the end of the month, one was seen and heard flying just north of Bredfield Village Hall and another was reported in the direction of Debach. Listen out for that deep call and, if you see a huge crow in flight, you’ll know you’ve seen a Raven.
Ravens have suffered terribly from persecution. In Suffolk and many other counties they were shot, trapped and poisoned until they were driven back to the mountains of Wales, Cumbria and Scotland. This plight was also experienced by Buzzards and Red Kites. Buzzards have now re-colonised their former haunts and are a familiar sight in the sky over Bredfield. Ravens seem set to slowly follow in their wake.
Ravens are returning to a county where they were clearly once numerous. Place names like Ravenscroft and Ravenswood, indicate that they were once part of the Suffolk landscape.
Ravens are highly intelligent birds and they are also accomplished acrobats in flight. When displaying, they can roll and fly upside-down! Now, wouldn’t that be a sight to see over the village.
Following a century of persecution, John Grant, the honorary President of the Suffolk Bird Group, has said, “The presence of Ravens in Suffolk is a test case for tolerance”.
PS: In the year-and-a-half since this article was written, the occasional sight and sound of Ravens over Bredfield continues to be reported.
