UKC

For those climbing at locations around the Cuillin south end: watch your bags if you leave them for any length of time!
The ravens there are pretty adept at rifling stuff out of rucksucs and can even open zips.

Case file: Girlfriend and her friends had their bags all done up and neatly tidied away. Upon returning later they found the bags and contents strewn around, including that which was inside pockets. A crucial set of car keys were only just found a few metres away.

Motive: to steal food inside of rucksac.

Good luck.

In reply to Murko Fuzz:

I love Ravens, they rock!

In reply to Pylon King Liberation Front:

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
`'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door -
Only this, and nothing more.'

In reply to Murko Fuzz:

I was intrigued that they ignored my food but tore my packet of paracetamol to shreds. Maybe it was a raven with a sore head?

In reply to Jamie Bankhead:

.....or a pill habit. The rucksac heisting horse at a crag down the road from La Grave was priceless! The owners were tied up mid pitch and could only watch as the beast absolutely destroyed their bag and stuffed their nosh.

In reply to Jamie Bankhead:

Maybe other birds have been stealing their meds? In the jungle it's pretty hard to find panadol because the parrots-eat-em-all

In reply to Andrewmorts:
>the parrots-eat-em-all

Arf!

In reply to Jamie Bankhead:

I'm guessing they were in a "shiny" pack? Corvus birds (Ravens, crows, rooks etc.) have a habit of stealing "shiny" objects for their nests. It's not known why but it's suspected it's to impress other birds. They are also VERY intelligent & inquisitive birds.

In reply to Andrewmorts:

That's pretty impressive punnage for this time on a Sunday morning.

In reply to Jamie Bankhead: They went fir my first aid kit too. Took a hand-warmer to line their nice warm nest with...

In reply to Murko Fuzz:

I've had a similar experience there!

In reply to Michael Gordon: I had my tent done over during the night at Machrihanish - heard the croaking, thought nothing of it and woke to find all the meat in my food bag had been removed.

In reply to Fat Bumbly2:That's amazing.

In reply to Padraig:


In Tasmania, Australia - should you have the chance to climb there - Black Currawongs can do the same trick: they've learned to open zips, and definitely know that tasty goodies can often be found in rucksack pockets.

Of course, it's not just corvids - as anybody who has tangled with Keas in alpine areas of New Zealand will know.

Back here in the UK, Jackdaws are certainly more intelligent than many of the humans I have climbed with. I have a verified report of two Jackdaws collaborating to rob a peanut feeder put out for garden birds. The pair of Jackdaws involved learned to lift the feeder off its stand, fly off with it together (it was too heavy for a single bird to manage on its own), and then drop it from height onto a stony path, where they could plunder its cargo after it had burst open. Quite amazing.

In reply to Murko Fuzz:

In South Africa baboons and vervet monkeys are a similar menace. They can undo rucksack straps and buckles, and will rummage around in your sack chucking stuff out whilst they go through it. In some areas it's become such a problem that local climbing clubs have installed wire mesh cages at the base of climbs to lock you rucksack and walk in boots in whilst you climb.

In reply to abcdefg:
>The pair of Jackdaws involved learned to lift the feeder off its stand, fly off with it together (it was too heavy for a single bird to manage on its own), and then drop it from height onto a stony path, where they could plunder its cargo after it had burst open. Quite amazing.

But could they manage a coconut? African or European Jackdaws?

In reply to Niall:

An african jackdaw could manage it on its own, but they are non migratory.

In reply to Andrewmorts:
>...the parrots-eat-em-all

Are you aspirin to make a pun?