My eureka moment as rooks set up home in my garden

I HAVE a friend whose house is surrounded by tall beech trees.

In the trees there is a rookery which fills me with envy every time I call round. It’s not simply that I enjoy the company of rooks, I also find them one of the most interesting birds in Ireland.

But they are also one of the noisiest and a couple of weeks ago a loud burst of rook noise drew me to my hen run. I couldn’t believe my eyes. A pair of rooks was building a nest in the bare top of an ash tree that overhangs the run.