I also have a thing about ravens as well Ebbie. We have a pair that nests and raises their young, for years now, in one of the trees close by and they share the water from our pony's drinking trough.

Despite my affection for them, as you probably well know, they can be buggers. In the summer they constantly drop old chicken feet, potatoes and all manner of things, in the water, that they have scavanged from neighbourhood composts and roadside slaughter.

I like to think that the offerings in the trough are their way of thanking me for the constant supply of fresh water, when it gets really dry, but it could be they are just really messy birds that haven't quite mastered getting a grip. BG

I'm working out a different watering system this year, so that they will no longer be able to "foul" the pony's water, but I am going to put a tee on the water line, so they can have their own private trough, just outside the fence. This will be sort of my thank you to them, for the privilege of being a part of their lives and able to witness their antics.