There have been records of Ravens on Ramsey Island as far back as the time of the Vikings. The name Ramsey is said to be derived from a description of the Raven, Raven’s Water. The birds and the island have a long intertwined history.
The Raven is a part of the corvid or crow family and is the largest of this family. They weigh up to one and half kilos and have a wingspan of over one meter. They are well known for their scavenging and carnivorous eating habits and are the top predators on Ramsey Island. Ravens eat eggs and chicks of sea birds and have been known to attack wounded or weak lambs.
Ravens are largely monogamous birds pairing for life and producing around three chicks per year. The birds can live for anywhere between 15 and twenty years.
The solid black of Raven’s plumage can also reflect midnight blue in the light. Their size, colour and guttural rasping calls have made them a mainstay of ghost stories. Raven nests are made of sticks on the high sea cliff or around the roofs of tall stone buildings like St Davids Cathedral. The remoteness of the places in which they choose to nest only enhances their dark image. Ravens are a large and impressive inhabitant of the Pembrokeshire coastline and well worth seeing for yourself.
Galwad y Mor St Davids is a great place to base yourself to visit Ramsey Island. Where you can see the wide variety of wildlife it has to offer, including the Raven.
