Showing posts with label Philip GRant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Philip GRant. Show all posts

Saturday 10 February 2024

Some history events in Brent which may be of interest!

Guest post by local historian Philip Grant 

 

Passport of Lotte Rosendahl, issued in 1939. [The Jawne Team / Courtesy of Yael Nemenoff]

 

There is a variety of history events taking place locally over the next month or so, which you may not have heard or read about. Martin has kindly agreed that I can share the details with you, so that you can make the most of what is on offer, if they are of interest to you.

 

Already on, in the family space at Willesden Green Library, is a small exhibition which opened on Holocaust Memorial Day called "Kindertransport Children in Willesden". It tells the stories of some of the around 10,000 unaccompanied children who were brought to this country to escape the growing Nazi threat to Jews in German-controlled lands in 1938-39. The passport pictured above was issued to one of them. This exhibition is only available to view until 28 February.

 

 

Also taking place at Willesden Green Library, in the Exhibition Gallery on the second floor from Monday 19 February, is a major Brent Museum / Learning through the Arts exhibition: “The Road to Freedom – Ending Slavery in Britain”. This free exhibition will be on until the beginning of September (but if you go in the opening week, you can also see the Kindertransport exhibition in the same visit!).

 

It is only 190 years ago that slavery was finally abolished throughout the British Empire. I wrote about the inhuman stain of slavery (and the indentured labour which followed it) on our history, in an article last month about why we should commemorate the centenary of the British Empire Exhibition

 

The title of Nabil Al-Kinani’s talk on Friday 16 February.


 

As part of that commemoration, Wembley History Society is welcoming Nabil Al-Kinani, to share a different perspective at its meeting on Friday 16 February at 7.30pm. Nabil’s talk, on “Decolonising Wembley” will explore the legacy of the 1924 Exhibition, examining the attitudes of the time, and asking whether the 21st Century developments in the Wembley Park area reflect a more modern and sensitive take on our post-colonial world. Visitors are welcome, for a small charge, at the Society’s meetings, which take place at St Andrew’s Church Hall, Church Lane, Kingsbury, NW9 8RZ.

 

Liam MacCarthy, and the Liam MacCarthy Cup.

 

One country which had recently been given semi-independent Dominion status, within the British Empire, in the early 1920s was the Irish Free State. Two men, whose names are now remembered through sporting trophies, for hurling and Gaelic football, are the subject of a much-anticipated talk at Willesden Green Library, on Thursday 14 March at 6.30pm. One was born in London, to Irish parents, while the other came to work here as a Civil Servant, and both were heavily involved in the capital’s branch of the Gaelic Athletic Association. Marcus Howard’s talk on “Liam MacCarthy and Sam Maguire: The Forgotten Sons of Ireland” will look at their political, as well as their sporting activities. You can find more details and reserve your free place for this talk on this Brent Libraries, Arts and Heritage Eventbrite page.

 

Sam Maguire (centre, with ball), captain of the London Hibernians Gaelic football team, 1903.

 

If you missed the premier of the film “Brent Women of Renown” last November, there is another chance to see it at a Willesden Local History Society meeting on Wednesday 20 March at 7.30pm. The three women featured are Kilburn suffragette Violet Doudney, aviator Amy Johnson and Dame Stephanie Shirley, who came to Britain as a five-year old Kindertransport child, and grew up to become a mathematician and pioneer computer engineer at the Post Office Research Station in Dollis Hill.

 

Amy Johnson working at Stag Lane Aerodrome, early 1930.

 

The film will be presented by its producer Angela Payne, and director Amanda Epe, who will also talk about the Cricklewood Town Team project which led to its creation. The meeting takes place at St Mary's Parish Centre, Neasden Lane, NW10 2TS. Non-members of the Society will be welcome to attend, for a small charge.

 

Car bodies under construction at Kingsbury Works in 1924.

 

The last event I will mention is a free illustrated local history talk which I will be giving myself, at a Kingsbury Library coffee morning on Tuesday 26 March at 11am. Kingsbury is now seen as a mainly residential area, but during the First World War its rural fields provided space for several aircraft factories. “Kingsbury Works, 1915 to 1980” tells the story of one of these (with lots of pictures!), and how the buildings there developed after they were taken over by Vanden Plas coachbuilders in 1923.

 

A 1935 Kingsbury-built Bentley limousine, which went on a sales tour around India.

 

Since I first gave this talk online during lockdown, I’ve found out even more about Kingsbury Works, and gathered many more illustrations, so I am looking forward to sharing this version at a Brent Libraries event. The most recent addition to my information is the site’s association with vampires (but no need to send for Buffy)! You can find more details, and book your free place for this talk, on the Eventbrite page for it.


 

Philip Grant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday 8 February 2024

Brent Library Events - Things can improve if the Council will listen

 Guest post by Philip Grant in a personal capacity

 


Last month I wrote about “Some Great Library Events – but where can you find them online?” I commented underneath that post: 

 

‘As regular readers of articles and comments will know, I'm a great believer in letting those in power at Brent Council know if there is something I feel strongly about. 

 

It is not just to complain or criticise, but to try to help them to "get things right", for the benefit of the local community, and Brent Council itself. I'm sure they would do a better job if more people took the trouble to let them know about things that don't seem right (although whether they will listen is often a problem!).’

 

I sent a copy of my article, with some suggestions for how things could be improved, to the Cabinet Lead Member for Customers, Communities, and Culture, Cllr. Fleur Donnelly- Jackson, and asked her ‘to forward it to the Council Officers whose action is required to sort out the problems.’ She replied to my email a few days later, and I’m glad to say that there have already been some improvements, with more to come.

 

I will set out, at the bottom of this post, for everyone’s information, the text of the email I received on 7 February from Brent’s Head of Libraries, Collections and Heritage Services. First, though, let me tell you how you can now easily get details on Brent Libraries events, and book places on them, on the Council’s website.

 

From the home page of Brent Council’s website ( www.brent.gov.uk ), look under the heading “Find the service you need” and “click” on the box that says “Libraries, arts and heritage”. On that page, “click” on the box that says “Libraries”, and when that page comes up, scroll down to this brightly coloured section:

 


 

As you will see, that section now contains two “links”. The first, “View our booklet to see what’s on at your local library”, will take you to an online version of the booklet you can pick up from your regular Brent Council Library. The second, “Book for selected events on our Eventbrite page”, takes you to the site with details of all the forthcoming events, and each one includes a box you can “click” on to reserve your place at it. Here is an example:

 


It just goes to show, and I hope Brent Council and its councillor members will take note, that things can improve if they listen to what residents make the effort to tell them. [I must add a special thank you to Jayne, whose comment under my previous post about her personal experience of trying to find details of a library event online was passed on to Brent Libraries - I’m sure that it helped to make things happen!] 

 

When I wrote my guest post last month, the new Brent Libraries, Arts and Heritage Eventbrite website had only 48 followers. I’d like to think that “Wembley Matters” readers have helped to boost that number, which has now almost doubled. Spread the word, because there are plenty of great, free, local events which we can enjoy!

 


 

As mentioned above, this is the text of the email I received (copied to Cllr. Donnelly-Jackson, who had asked for action, in response to my contacting her) on 7 February:

 

Dear Philip,

 

Thank you for drawing the subject of Eventbrite publicity for Brent Libraries Arts and Heritage to our attention.

 

Thank you for alerting us to the issue concerning programme publicity as it is very important to inform Brent residents and indeed people living outside of Brent about the wonderful range of free programming on offer. Our aim has always been to offer culture on residents’ doorstep.

 

In order to improve Council wide publicity for all events it was agreed to bring all programming under one Eventbrite website umbrella last Autumn. This resulted in a rebranded name for Brent Culture which is as you have highlighted now called Libraries, Arts and Heritage which actually provides more clarity and better reflects the range of events we offer.

 

Work is still being done to update customers about this change. We signpost residents to the popular What's On guides from the Libraries section of our website and in line with your suggestion, we have also now added the Eventbrite link (see below image). In addition, we included the link to the new Eventbrite page in the latest Spring What’s On guide and will also refer people to the new page in future editions.

 

As well as our What’s On guides, we do also publicise our libraries events across our social media channels and through our popular Libraries and Culture e-newsletter.

 

I agree with you that we do need to ensure publicity is accessible for all, including those who may not be as familiar with QR codes or use digital channels to access information. That is why we make our What’s On guides available in all our libraries and will also look at further ways of helping spread the word about our events programme amongst those who may not be digitally enabled.

 

Lastly, we do agree that ideally all Brent Libraries events should be featured on the www.brent.gov.uk/whatson webpage and will look to introduce a new process so that this becomes more routine moving forward.

 

Thank you also for your continuing support of Libraries, Arts and Heritage programming and indeed publicising our upcoming events in Wembley Matters.  

 

Regards,

Amit

 

Head of Libraries, Collections and Heritage Services

 

So that’s more improvements to look forward to – well worth the effort of letting the Council know (this time).


Philip Grant.


Monday 5 February 2024

New building on the Preston Road Library site – and a famous name!

 Guest post by Philip Grant in a personal capacity

The new building on 2 February 2024.

 

It was September 2016 when Brent’s Cabinet decided to redevelop the former Preston Road Library site in Carlton Avenue East for a block of flats, with space for a community library on the ground floor. In November 2022, a Council press release celebrated the topping-out ceremony, “New community library and 12 council homes rise up out of the ground”, attended by Cllr. Muhammed Butt, who ‘accepted an engraved trowel on behalf of Brent Council gifted to him by John Bolton, director of Kier Construction’, and some of his Cabinet colleagues.

 

Now it finally looks as if the building, which has a controversial history, is nearing completion! However, it is not that history, or the architectural merits (or otherwise?) of the new block in its 1930s suburban setting, which is the main point of this article. It is the name of the building that I want to share with you - Henry Cooper House.

 


Why name the building after a famous British boxer? I’m sure it must be because he lived in the Preston Road area for fifteen years from 1960 to 1975, a time which included the height of his boxing career. He is mentioned in
Part 4 of The Preston Road Story (published on Wembley Matters in 2020), along with information about the library and Preston Community Library, which began with the support of the hundreds of local residents who had objected to Brent Council’s plans to close six of its twelve public libraries in 2011.

 

Henry Cooper in 1966. (Photo from “Henry Cooper – the authorised biography”)

 

Back in November 2018, Wembley Matters shared the news that a blue plaque to Sir Henry Cooper hand been unveiled above the shop at 4 Ealing Road, where he’d owned and run a greengrocer’s shop between 1965 and 1968.

 

Henry Cooper at his shop, and the blue plaque now above it.

 

As a result of Wembley History Society being asked to support the efforts of a local resident, who was successful in commemorating Sir Henry with this blue plaque, I researched and wrote about his life and local links, and also gave an illustrated talk about them last year, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of his legendary boxing match against Cassius Clay (now better known as Muhammed Ali).

 

A ticket for the Clay v Cooper fight at Wembley Stadium in June 1963. (Image from the internet)

 

But Henry did not only live in Wembley, at 5 Ledway Drive, for fifteen years. With his wife, Albina, they raised a family here. I wonder whether they took their sons, Henry Marco and John Pietro to their local Preston Road Library, after it opened in 1964? 

 

Albina and Henry at home with their sons in, late 1960s. (Image from the internet)

 

The naming of the new building as Henry Cooper House was news to me. I only found out last week, when a local resident tipped me off about it, but it came as a pleasant surprise. I hope that all twelve of the new Council homes there will be let to local people in housing need at genuinely affordable rents!

 

And I wonder if Brent Council will invite Henry and John Cooper to the official opening of the building named after their father?


Philip Grant

Thursday 25 January 2024

Barham Park Trustees approve original accounts in 7-1/2 minute meeting after refusing representations

 

The Barham Park Trust Committee, made up solely of members of the Brent Cabinet and chaired by Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt, took just 7 and a half minutes to deal with the CEO's 'High Level' review  report into the accounts and the Scrutiny Committee's Report made as a result of the Call-in of the Barham Trust accounts by backbench councillors.

That evening the CEO of Brent attending Scrutiny Commitete seemed reluctanmt (after a slight panic) to reflect on the content of the report when requested by Cllr Anton Georgiou.

 

 Councillor Butt was not paying much attention while the CEO was speaking!


Cllr Butt refused Cllr Georgiou's colleague, Cllr Paul Lorber's request to address the Trustee's at the Barham Park Trust Committee.

This triumph of open government and transparency resulted in the accounts as originally submitted being approved. There was a short reference to the need to collect rents - an issue that Cllr Lorber had first raised as the amounts shown in the accounts was much lesss than the rents due from the occupants of the Barham Park buildings.

The correspondence below speaks for itself - it all took place on January 23rd :

Philip Grant correspondence

This is the text of an email that I sent to Cllr. Muhammed Butt just before 5pm today. It was copied to the other four members of the Barham Park Trust Committee, to Brent's Chief Executive and Corporate Director of Governance, and to Cllr. Lorber:

'Dear Councillor Butt,

I have read online that you have refused a request from Councillor Paul Lorber to speak in respect of items 5 and 6 on the agenda for tomorrow morning's meeting of the Barham Park Trust Committee. Is this true?

If it is true, I am writing to ask, as a citizen of Brent interested in the workings of democracy, that you change your mind on this, and let Cllr. Lorber know, without delay, that he will be permitted to speak to the committee.

What your Committee has to decide is whether to reconsider its acceptance of the Barham Park Trust Annual Report and Accounts, as it has been requested to do by the Council's Resources and Public Realm Scrutiny Committee.

Surely it is right that the Trust Committee hears all sides of this matter, before it makes its decision? That is the essence of openness and transparency in decision making which underpins our democracy.

Not to allow Cllr. Lorber to speak, as long as he does so respectfully, as required by the Members' Code of Conduct, would reflect very badly on Brent Council, and on yourself.

 

Within 15 minutes of sending the email in "FOR INFORMATION" above, I received the following reply from Cllr. Muhammed Butt:

'Dear Mr Grant

Thank you for the email and for trying to make the case.

I respectfully have to say the answer is no and will remain a firm no.

Regards

Muhammed

Cllr Muhammed Butt
Leader of Brent Council.'

 

I did not find that a satisfactory response to the points I had made, so I sent the following reply (copied to the same people as my first email) just after 6pm this evening:

'Dear Councillor Butt,

Thank you for your prompt reply to my email.

As you acknowledge, I made a case for Cllr. Lorber to be allowed to speak at tomorrow's Trust Committee meeting.

You have said that 'the answer is no and will remain a firm no', but you have not explained your reasons for that.

I'm aware from watching previous Council meetings that there is "no love lost" between yourself and the former Lib Dem Leader of Brent Council. However, personal animosity should not influence your actions as Chair of the Trust Committee (if that is a factor in this case).

Have you taken advice from the Corporate Director for Governance over whether to block Cllr. Lorber's request to speak? Although you may have the power, as Chair, to refuse his request, it could be seen as an abuse of power.

Any councillor, and especially a Leader, is expected to demonstrate leadership by example. I have to say that this appears to me, as an independent observer, to set a poor example.

 

Yours,

Philip Grant.

 

Further to my two "FOR INFORMATION" comments above, I received the following email from Cllr. Butt at 7pm this evening:

'Thank you, Mr Grant.

I wouldn't describe the sharing of these exchanges to the Green Party blog to be either "independent" nor the definition of the public arena either - but what you do them with is your prerogative.

Cllr Lorber and I perfectly understand one and other, we have been colleagues on different sides of the council chamber for two decades and I am grateful as ever for his continued opinions on the matter, as is his right. It is also perfectly within mine to disagree.

I am clear there has been ample democratic opportunity and copious officer time and resource afforded to the matter. This item has been discussed at both the initial Barham Park meeting and at a subsequent scrutiny call-in meeting where there was repeat opportunity for all members and members of the public to contribute.

Given this is a reference back of a decision called in by Cllr Lorber the meeting will continue as planned.

Best wishes and thank you for your continued interest, please feel free to tune into the next meeting of the next Barham Park Trust meeting.

I wish you all the best and thank you for your continued interest.'


I sent the following reply to the Council Leader at 7.15pm:

'Dear Councillor Butt,

Thank you for your email, and fuller response.

The point I am trying to make is that, although the matter of the accounts has been looked at in various ways, the meeting of the Barham Park Trust Committee tomorrow is meant to be reconsidering its original approval of the 2022/23 Annual Report and Accounts, on a referral back from a Scrutiny Committee.

If the Committee is not allowed to hear both sides of the case before making its decision (even though your own mind may already be made up?), that does not reflect well on Brent Council's democratic process. Yours sincerely,

Philip Grant.'

 

This is the final exchange of emails between Cllr. Butt and myself this evening.

His email highlighted some of its text, and I will put that section in inverted commas:

'Dear Mr Grant

I think you have missed the point that I made to yourself, so I have highlighted it for you for clarity.

"I am clear there has been ample democratic opportunity and copious officer time and resource afforded to the matter. This item has been discussed at both the initial Barham Park meeting and at a subsequent scrutiny call-in meeting where there was repeat opportunity for all members and members of the public to contribute."

I wish you a good evening.'

This was my reply, shortly afterwards:

'Dear Councillor Butt,

Thank you for your email.

I had noted the point you have highlighted, but feel that you are also missing the point.

However, as our exchanges are, unfortunately, getting nowhere, I will also wish you a good evening. Yours,

Philip Grant.'

23 January 2024 at 19:46

 

Paul Lorber correspondence

 

In my discussions with the Brent Chief Executive and the Brent Director of Finance I made it clear that one of the beneficiaries of the mistakes made by the Trustees and Council Officers was a charity - Friends of Barham Library - of which I was a Trustee. I was urging them to correct their errors in the full knowledge that it will cost Friends of Barham Library money.

One of the material errors made by Council Officers, which the Trustees, including Cllr Butt, failed to spot was the failure to implement Rental reviews as set out om the various Leases between The Barham Park Trust and a number of the organisation (including friends of Barham Library) who rent premises in Barham Park.

What is wrong with the Barham park Trust 2022/23 Account No.5 deals with this point.

While throughout this process Cllr Butt and his fellow Trustees refused to accept that there was anything wrong at precisely 20.11p.m. (some Council Officers do work late) an officer from the Council's Property Department sent me an email to advise me that Friends of Barham Library will be subject to a rent review under the terms of our Lease backdated to October 2021.

I received this email just 36 hours before the Barham Park Trust Meeting due to start at 9:30am on Wednesday 24 January and after Cllr Butt refused my request to speak so that I could explain why the Accounts are wrong and what action was required to correct them.

Brent Council Officers have been charging the wrong rent to one of the tenants in Barham Park since 2019. Friends of Barham Library rent has been wrong since 2021. I have been pointing this out to the Trustees and to Council Officers for a very long time.

Assuming that the other tenant was sent a similar email and demand for back dated rent the Barham Park Trust will be better off by over £18,000.

To date neither Councillor Butt or the Council Officers have had the decency to admit that I was right or to acknowledge that as a result of my actions the Barham Park Trust is at last trying to retrieve some of the losses suffered as a result of their basic mistakes.

In contrast to the Accounts prepared by Council Officers for the Barham Park Trust which are wrong - the Accounts for Friends of Barham Library are correct. We knew what our correct rent should have been since 2021 and provided (accrued) for the extra rent due in our accounts for the last 2 years.

Councillor Butt may ignore the sensible contribution from Philip grant or silence me and others. He cannot hide the fact that he is WRONG and we are RIGHT.

Perseverance pays off (as the belated Council action about the rent reviews highlights) and the fight goes on.

 

 


Friday 19 January 2024

Big Garden Birdwatch – sharing our space with feathered friends is fun!

 Guest post by Philip Grant


1.     Goldfinch eating sunflower seeds.

 

Next weekend (26 to 28 January) is the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch, and a chance for us all to take part in the world’s largest garden wildlife survey. I’m lucky enough to live in a house with a garden, but you don’t need one to take part. You can watch, and count, on the balcony of a flat, or in a local park or other open space that birds visit. It just takes an hour of your time, plus a bit more reporting your results, and you can find out how on the Big Garden Birdwatch website.

 

2.     Greenfinch and Goldfinches around a seed feeder.

 

You are likely to see more birds if you are able to provide them with some food during the winter. Some types of small birds seem to gather in small flocks at this time of year, and recently we’ve enjoyed having a mixed group of Goldfinches and Greenfinches coming to our feeders. Although we have a nest box each for Blue Tit and Great Tit pairs (at opposite ends of our back garden), they also sometimes come to the garden with Coal Tits and the beautiful little Long Tailed Tits (I’m sorry that I don’t have a photograph of these to share – they are rather shy!).

 

3.     Great Tit eating seeds, with inset showing its front markings.

 

4.     Blue Tit and Goldfinch near fat ball feeder.

 

5.     Goldfinches waiting while a Starling feeds on fat balls.

 

A garden bird that isn’t shy is the Starling, and they will make smaller birds wait while they feed. Occasionally only a single Starling will arrive, but usually they appear in a posse – I think the most I’ve counted at one time during a birdwatch is seventeen. They may look black, but up close, their markings and colours are amazing, with greens, purples and lots of little white speckles across their breasts. 

 

As you can see from some of the other photos, many small birds have some intricate and colourful markings too. That even goes for the Robin (only one pair in the garden, as they are very territorial!) and the occasional Sparrow that we see, usually on the ground under the feeders, picking up what other birds drop.

 

Although we had seen Ring-necked Parakeets flying around the area (particularly on Barn Hill) for a number of years, it was only in 2020 that the first one landed briefly on a tree in our garden. Now they are regular visitors, often arriving in pairs, and the most we have seen at one time is six. They seem ready to wait patiently for their turn, unless something scares them away first. Sunflower seeds are more popular, but some will also peck at the fat balls.

 

6.     A pair of Parakeets feeding, while another waits.

 

7.     A Ring-necked Parakeet on the fat ball feeder.

 

The Parakeets are very agile for their size. The Feral Pigeons and Wood Pigeons that visit our garden usually can’t get at the feeders, unless there is a conveniently located branch next to the fat balls. But when other garden birds are busy feeding, we often see pigeons on the grass underneath, eagerly making the most of the seeds or bits of fat ball that are dropped. 

 

One Feral Pigeon, who like the others was too big to use the small bird perch on the seed feeder, was so keen to get at the food there that it tried to fly up from the ground and hover. Over a number of days, it gradually developed this “skill”, until it could spend a few seconds beside the feeding hole. I doubt whether the seeds it got were worth the energy used in getting them, but it was interesting to watch this “humming bird” pigeon!

 

8.     The “humming bird” pigeon in action.

 

Our local Kingsbury Feral Pigeons usually spend their time, and get their food, in Kingsbury Road and Roe Green Park. However, one thing we do provide for the birds all year round is their other vital need, water. I think all the different types of birds that visit our garden have drunk from our water bowls, but that is not all they need them for. And when fresh water is put out, it is often Feral Pigeons who arrive to enjoy it first.

 

9.     Feral Pigeons drinking and bathing in fresh water.

 

 

10.  A Jay, with its crest up, enjoying a bath.

 

Jays are not the only less usual “garden birds” that we are lucky enough to see. We also have occasional visits from Green Woodpeckers and Great Spotted Woodpeckers. Water is especially important during dry periods, like those we often get during the summer, or when the ground is frozen. One of the first jobs in the morning, in weather such as we’ve had last week, is to put some extra water in the kettle, when making a cup of tea, so that there is some available to remove the ice from the top of the water in our bowls. Having water to drink, when none is available elsewhere, was probably why we had a rare visit from a Pied Wagtail, last time we had snow lying.

 

11.  Pied Wagtail walking through the snow, after drinking some water.

 

I would not have thought of Crows as a garden bird, until one started visiting us five or six years ago. Within months, the male’s mate was also coming, and since then they have been a regular part of our garden bird life. Watching their behaviour has given us a fascinating insight into crow family life, and I will share a little of that with you.

 

12.  Mr Crow having a bath.

 

Crows like to have a bath, sometimes coming back into the bowl several times and splashing about. On some summer days, Mr Crow gets so wet that he cannot take off, so hops down the garden and up into our apple tree to preen and dry off, before flying away. But drinking and bathing is not all that Crows use the water for.

 

They have a varied diet, including making use of dropped takeaways, and food found (from bins?) behind shops and restaurants. Crows can carry surprisingly large items in their beaks. Sometimes they bring food to wash if they don’t like something on it (such as peri-peri sauce on their chicken), or if they have buried it and then dug it up again. At other times, it is to soften up the food - bread, pizza, meat on bones and dog biscuits (stolen from a neighbour’s garden) are some examples.

 

13.  Mr Crow with a chip that needs softening.

 

14.  A Crow washing and breaking up a cooked chicken leg.

 

Softening food is particularly important when there are young to feed. Bread or meat needs to be broken up at the bowl, then swallowed into a pouch in their throats to carry back to the nest. The young Crows, usually two each year, are dependent on food provided to them for many months. When they do start flying, we often see them first in a nearby tree. It will be weeks before they are finally confident enough to come to the garden, still begging food from their parents.

 

For the rest of their first year, the young Crows are steadily educated (and disciplined, when necessary, to know their place in “the pecking order” over food). They must learn the skills of preparing food, bathing (watching their first attempts can be amusing), and what the various calls mean, and how to make them. Mr Crow is a very patient teacher. 

 

Each year, one of the young Crows, it can be either a male or a female, is trained to be a helper. While the other one (or occasionally two) are made unwelcome by the end of their first year, the helper stays as part of the family, to assist Mr Crow in bringing food while Mrs Crow is on the nest, and in looking after the next year’s young Crows during their early months.

 

15.  Mr and Mrs Crow having breakfast, January 2024.

 

Although the Crows can usually find their own food, and come to the garden mainly for the water, we do provide some for them during the winter. As Starlings would take the opportunity to gobble up any food, if the Crows were not quick enough to arrive, we’ve started putting it on a plastic plate, with a bowl over it. Mr Crow has the guile and strength to tip up the plate, so that the food is there on the grass for the family to eat.

 

16.  A squirrel eating from the Crows’ plate.

 

While there are few garden birds who would dare steal the Crows’ food while they are there, a cheeky squirrel will sometimes have a go (the local squirrels visit all of our feeders!). While most of the family would not take on a squirrel, we’ve seen Mr Crow creep up behind one, and dash in to peck its tail! Our garden is certainly part of this Crow family’s territory, and they can often be seen and heard, cawing as a group from trees or rooftops to warn neighbouring crows away from it.

 

I hope this article has encouraged you to take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch, but more than that, to spend more time watching, and feeding if you can, the garden birds where you live. They can be a great source of natural beauty, interest and fun.

 


Philip Grant.

 

A copy of this article can be downloaded from HERE

 

If Philip's article has encouraged you to take part see the RSPB video below or visit the website HERE