Noisy rooks

There is a tree-lined track nearby where I regularly walk and in one section you are usually accompanied by a raucous cacophony of crows. In a murky Winter afternoon it conveys a rather eerie atmosphere. They nest there in relatively large numbers and are an all-year-round presence. Its a conducive location for them as they are surrounded by arable fields. 

They seem to be much noisier at this time of the year, I assume because they have chicks on the go. The rough looking crows nests made up of sticks can be seen high up in the trees.

In Russia in the late nineteenth century there was a flourishing of realist landscape artists, among whom was Alexi Savrosov (1830-97). His most noted painting was The Rooks Have Returned. It marked the transition from Winter to Spring. But here the rooks don't seem to go away.

The Rooks Have Returned, Alexei Savrosov