The two villages

Where I live in Worcestershire, there are two villages, very close to each other. The upper village has a high population density, packed with hundreds of small family homes. The inhabitants are noisy but lead surprisingly orderly lives. Each morning, most commute to work, leaving some to care for the young. Parents have strong family bonds and rarely divorce. But there is a definite hierarchy between families, and in hard times those with the lowest status starve. Thirty feet below this village of jackdaws is the village of humans, living at ground-level rather than among the tree tops. The humans also commute to work in the morning, but they lead much quieter lives than the inhabitants of the jackdaw village. When the jackdaws return home, there is no quiet evening on the nest in front of the television. Instead, there is boisterous party-going, circling round in formation flying, and calling to each other from nest to nest. The only human activities that match the jackdaw village for noise are football matches - an occasion for shouting abuse and swearing.

Jackdaws were once called ‘daws’ in England: the ‘Jack’ was added as a personal name, in the same way that Redbreasts were all named ‘Robin’ and Wrens are called ‘Jenny’. Perhaps these three species were given Christian names because of all the birds they seemed the most human: busy, loud and assertive. At this time of year (early June), the jackdaw village in the bank of trees opposite my house is sufficiently loud and assertive to wake me up every morning some time soon after 4am.