"in the Home Counties around London, as close as 30 miles from the Tower. The first two known depictions of ravens in the Tower of London both date from the year 1883. One is in a special edition of the newspaper ""The Pictorial World"" and the other is from the children's Book ""London Town"", written by Felix Leigh and illustrated by Thomas Crane and Elizabeth Houghton. Sax found the one early mention of importation of captive ravens in the 1918 book ""The Tower from Within"" by George Younghusband. Younghusband stated that the ravens were provided by the 4th Earl of"
"killed the bird. While visiting the Tower in 2003, Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, is reported to have been impressed by one of the bird's verbal skills; Thor greeted each person in his entourage with a ""Good morning!"". During the global spread of H5N1 virus (""bird flu"") in 2006, the ravens of the Tower were taken inside, and lived in ""custom-built aviaries"". In May 2013, two ravens were killed by a fox that managed to infiltrate the grounds, the only fox attack inside the walls ever recorded. The raven population was temporarily reduced to the minimum number of six."
"Canada geese, ruddy duck, mandarin duck, rose-ringed parakeet, gadwall, coot and red kite. Despite the acres of concrete, hundreds of thousands of motor vehicles, and more than ten million people, London still boasts many excellent birding sites. Bill visits Trafalgar Square, Regent's Park, Lee Valley country park, Wraysbury gravel pits, Rainham Marshes and the Chilterns. Species seen: bananaquit, palm tanager, blue-grey tanager, spectacled thrush, ruddy ground dove, yellow oriole, least grebe, southern lapwing, white-winged swallow, pied water-tyrant, golden-headed manakin, bay-headed tanager, white-bearded manakin, laughing gull, royal tern, large-billed tern, cattle egret, black skimmer, common potoo, scarlet ibis, white-necked jacobin, tufted"
"Today the Tower's ravens are one of the attractions for tourists visiting the City of London. However, visitors are advised not to feed the birds, and warned that a raven will bite if it feels threatened. Since 1987, the Tower ravens have been the subject of a successful captive breeding programme. For example, over time, 17 chicks were successfully hatched and raised by a pair of ravens known as ""Charlie"" and ""Rhys"". Charlie came to an unhappy end: he bit a bomb-sniffing dog (who was also named Charlie), and the dog grabbed the raven with his teeth. This dog bite"
"The Shard The Shard, also infrequently referred to as the Shard of Glass, Shard London Bridge and formerly London Bridge Tower, is a 95-story supertall skyscraper, designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, in Southwark, London, that forms part of the Shard Quarter development. Standing high, the Shard is the tallest building in the United Kingdom, the tallest building in the European Union, the fifth-tallest building in Europe and the 96th-tallest building in the world. It is also the second-tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom, after the concrete tower of the Emley Moor transmitting station. It replaced Southwark Towers,"
"of London is retired Staff Sergeant Christopher Skaife (a former Drum Major with the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment), who took over from Derrick Coyle in 2011 , who currently cares for seven of the birds. Skaife has written a memoir of his experiences in the role, ""The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London"". In order to prevent the ravens from flying away, their flight feathers have traditionally been trimmed so that they could not fly in a straight line for any appreciable distance. The ravens have been free, however, to roam the Tower grounds."
"the ""Mabinogion"", Bran's head was buried in the White Hill of London as a talisman against invasion. A legend developed that England would not fall to a foreign invader as long as there were ravens at the Tower of London; although this is often thought to be an ancient belief, the official Tower of London historian, Geoff Parnell, believes that this is actually a romantic Victorian invention. In the Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditions, the raven was the first animal to be released from Noah's Ark. ""So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened"
"and herald Triton. The motto is ""Deus Nobis Haec Otia Fecit""—a quotation from Virgil's ""Eclogues"" translating to ""God hath granted us this ease"" or ""God has bestowed these blessings upon us"". Representations of the bird can be found throughout Liverpool. The two most famous stand atop the clock towers of the Royal Liver Building at Liverpool's Pier Head, overlooking the Mersey. Their names are Bertie and Bella. The male, Bertie looks over the city and the female, Bella looks to the sea. The building, headquarters to the Royal Liver Assurance, was opened in 1911. The metal cormorant-like birds were designed"
"Golden-ringed dragonfly The golden-ringed dragonfly (""Cordulegaster boltonii"") is a large, striking dragonfly and the longest British species, the only member of its genus to be found in the United Kingdom. They are easily identified by their distinctive black and yellow stripes, which no other dragonfly in the United Kingdom has. A very large species, males average 74 mm and the larger females 84 mm. Wingspan is up to 101 mm. The female lays the eggs in shallow water. The hairy larvae live at the bottom of the water and are well camouflaged amongst the silt. They emerge after about 2–5"
"after a lift fell inside the north tower. Citations Sources Tower Bridge Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London built between 1886 and 1894. The bridge crosses the River Thames close to the Tower of London and has become an iconic symbol of London. Because of this, Tower Bridge is sometimes confused with London Bridge, situated some upstream. Tower Bridge is one of five London bridges now owned and maintained by the Bridge House Estates, a charitable trust overseen by the City of London Corporation. It is the only one of the Trust's bridges not to"
"during the Victorian era. And during Parnell's research, despite the superstition that the Crown depends on the continued presence of the ravens, ""[he] has found the blunt statement in the records 'there are none left' – and yet the monarchy and the tower have more or less survived"". This alludes to a period right before the reopening of the Tower after World War II, when the only surviving ravens, the mated pair Mabel and Grip, disappeared from the Tower, perhaps eloping to a nearby wood. The story of their escape appeared in several local American papers. Dr Parnell also believes"
"has escaped but was captured by a member of the public. The ravens cannot fly because the flight feathers on one wing are clipped. With a single wing clipped, they can only fly short distances to perch. Otherwise, as Boria Sax writes, tongue-in-cheek: Each Tower raven has a different coloured band on one leg, to make it easier to identify individual birds. Ravens in captivity in the Tower grounds have had lifespans of over 40 years. The Tower's ravens are given individual names, and are all under the care of the Yeomen Warders. The diet of the ravens is carefully"
"kites, were the biggest scavengers in medieval London. Allegedly after the fire, survivors started persecuting ravens for scavenging, but Flamsteed explained to Charles II that killing all ravens would be a bad omen, and that the kingdom would not outlive the last killed raven. Charles II then ordered six birds to be kept at the Tower. Wild ravens are native to Britain (and most other parts of the Northern Hemisphere) although in recent times breeding populations are mostly restricted to the wilder western upland areas of the British Isles. It is quite likely that ravens lived in and around the"
"birds be removed, but Charles II refused to comply with this request. Another variation of this legend says that it was Charles II himself who disliked the wild ravens' droppings falling onto the telescope. The conversation with his astronomer that supposedly followed decided the fate not only of the ravens, but also of Greenwich, where the Greenwich Observatory was commissioned by the King in 1675. In this version of the legend the King complained: Yet another legend attributes the appearance of ravens in the Tower to the Great Fire of London in 1666. Wild ravens, as well as pigs and"
"Russia by the Hermitage Plaza building, which is planned to be completed in La Défense, Paris, in 2019. The Shard is the second-tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom, after the concrete transmission tower at Emley Moor. Another planned London skyscraper, the Pinnacle, was originally proposed to rival the height of The Shard, but was reduced to a height of because of concerns from the Civil Aviation Authority. It is taller than all of the natural peaks in London and in adjoining counties, the highest of which is Walbury Hill, close to Wiltshire. The Shard comprises a 26-floor office complex,"
"though the densest vegetation, and it will ""freeze"" if surprised in the open. It walks with a high-stepping gait, although it adopts a crouch when it runs for cover. It swims, when necessary, with the jerky motion typical of rails, and it flies short distances low over the reeds with its long legs dangling. Although their flight looks weak, water rails are capable of long sustained flights during their nocturnal migrations, and are sometimes killed in collisions with lighthouses or wires. British-ringed birds have been recovered from as far away as Poland, Czechoslovakia and Sweden. This species defends its breeding"
"markets (such as nearby Eastcheap) foraging for scraps, could have roosted at the Tower in earlier times. During the Second World War, most of the Tower's ravens perished through shock during bombing raids, leaving only a mated pair named ""Mabel"" and ""Grip."" Shortly before the Tower reopened to the public, Mabel flew away, leaving Grip despondent. A couple of weeks later, Grip also flew away, probably in search of his mate. The incident was reported in several newspapers, and some of the stories contained the first references in print to the legend that the British Empire would fall if the"
"These include agricultural land with hedgerows and trees, orchards, woodland verges, parks and gardens, as well as steppes and stony semi-deserts. It is also present in treeless areas such as dunes, and in the vicinity of ruins, quarries and rocky outcrops. It sometimes ventures into villages and suburbs. In the United Kingdom it is chiefly a bird of the lowlands, and usually occurs below . In continental Europe and Asia it may be found at much higher elevations; one individual was recorded from in Tibet. The owl usually perches in an elevated position ready to swoop down on any small"
"Tower Bridge Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London built between 1886 and 1894. The bridge crosses the River Thames close to the Tower of London and has become an iconic symbol of London. Because of this, Tower Bridge is sometimes confused with London Bridge, situated some upstream. Tower Bridge is one of five London bridges now owned and maintained by the Bridge House Estates, a charitable trust overseen by the City of London Corporation. It is the only one of the Trust's bridges not to connect the City of London directly to the Southwark bank,"
"a bear advancing towards him, and reportedly died of fright a few days later. In October 1817, a tubular, glowing apparition was claimed to have been seen in the Jewel House by the Keeper of the Crown Jewels, Edmund Lenthal Swifte. He said that the apparition hovered over the shoulder of his wife, leading her to exclaim: ""Oh, Christ! It has seized me!"" Other nameless and formless terrors have been reported, more recently, by night staff at the Tower. Tower of London The Tower of London, officially Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a"
"world, with the sole exception perhaps of London-bridge. Hugh Lofting's book ""Doctor Dolittle"", published in 1951, names a quarrelsome London sparrow with a Cockney accent Cheapside. He lives most of the year in St. Edmund's left ear in St. Paul's Cathedral and is invited to the African country of Fantippo to deliver mail to cities because the other birds are not able to navigate city streets. Cheapside is also depicted in Rosemary Sutcliff's 1951 children's historical novel ""The Armourer's House"", along with other parts of Tudor London. In a more contemporary treatment, the Cheapside of the Middle Ages was referenced"
"of London as a talisman against invasion. He is depicted as giant and the King of the Britons in tale known as the Second Branch of the ""Mabinogi"". Several other characters in Welsh mythology share his name, and ravens figure prominently in the 12th or 13th century text ""The Dream of Rhonabwy"", as the army of King Arthur's knight Owain. According to legend, the Kingdom of England will fall if the ravens of the Tower of London are removed. It had been thought that there have been at least six ravens in residence at the tower for centuries. It was"
"time of King Charles II. Legend maintains that should the ravens ever leave the Tower, the White Tower will fall and disaster will befall the kingdom. When John Flamsteed, the ""astronomical observator"", complained that the ravens interfered with observatory work, Charles initially ordered them destroyed, but reminded of the legend, the story goes that he decided to instead relocate the Royal Observatory to Greenwich. He decreed that at least six ravens must always remain at the Tower. The presence of captive ravens probably goes back only to the later 19th century. The current (2018) Yeoman Warder Ravenmaster of the Tower"
"the six women were arrested by police on suspicion of aggravated trespass. </small> </small> </small> The Shard The Shard, also infrequently referred to as the Shard of Glass, Shard London Bridge and formerly London Bridge Tower, is a 95-story supertall skyscraper, designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, in Southwark, London, that forms part of the Shard Quarter development. Standing high, the Shard is the tallest building in the United Kingdom, the tallest building in the European Union, the fifth-tallest building in Europe and the 96th-tallest building in the world. It is also the second-tallest free-standing structure in the United"
"nidus-avis""), violet helleborine (""Epipactis purpurata""), the extreme rarity ""E."" x ""schulzei"" (first British record here, 1931), and green-flowered helleborine (""E. phyllanthes""). Various rare molluscs and insects have been recorded. Butterflies on the Common include the Duke of Burgundy (""Hamearis lucina""), silver-washed fritillary (""Argynnis paphia"") and purple emperor (""Apatura iris""). The avifauna includes most of the species typical of broad-leaved woodland in southern England, such as sparrowhawk (""Accipter nisus""), stock dove (""Columba oenas""), tawny owl (""Strix aluco""), European green woodpecker (""Picus viridis""), great spotted woodpecker (""Dendrocopos major""), garden warbler (""Sylvia borin""), blackcap (""S. atricapilla""), chiffchaff (""Phylloscopus collybita""), spotted flycatcher (""Muscicapa striata""),"
"other birds such as the hamerkop (""Scopus umbretta"") and, particularly in Europe and North America, old buildings such as farm sheds and church towers. Buildings are preferred to trees in wetter climates in the British Isles and provide better protection for fledglings from inclement weather. Trees tend to be in open habitats rather than in the middle of woodland and nest holes tend to be higher in North America than in Europe because of possible predation by raccoons (""Procyon lotor""). No nesting material is used as such but, as the female sits incubating the eggs, she draws in the dry"
"kilometres from Jigjiga, Ethiopia managed to use a male spotted hyena as a livestock guardian dog, suppressing its urge to leave and find a mate by feeding it special herbs. If not raised with adult members of their kind, captive spotted hyenas will exhibit scent marking behaviours much later in life than wild specimens. Although easily tamed, spotted hyenas are exceedingly difficult to house train, and can be very destructive; a captive, otherwise perfectly tame, specimen in the Tower of London managed to tear an long plank nailed to its recently repaired enclosure floor with no apparent effort. During the"
"Falconry Centre, Newent, Glos. on 8 March 1985, and died on or about 23 March 1986. Goldie (eagle) Goldie was a male golden eagle who lived at London Zoo in England during the 1960s. He caused a nationwide sensation when he escaped for 12 days in March 1965. Goldie flew away from his keepers on 28 February 1965 while his cage was being cleaned. He avoided being recaptured for nearly two weeks, despite a massive effort using equipment borrowed from the Royal Navy and British Civil Defence. Goldie spent most of the time in Regent's Park, which surrounds the zoo,"
"seen in Poland in January 2006. More recently, it was seen in Norfolk, England in October 2011 and again in September 2013, and in Denmark in October 2012. It is a bird of coniferous woodlands and damp broad-leafed woodland with fallen trees and thick undergrowth, particularly spruce and fir with willow, alder, birch, poplar and bird cherry. It is mainly a lowland species but sometimes occurs at altitudes of up to 1,200 m (4,000 ft) above sea level. In its winter quarters it is found in forests, in areas with scattered trees, scrubland, parks and gardens. This is an elusive"
"said that Charles II ordered their removal following complaints from John Flamsteed, the Royal Astronomer. However, they were not removed because Charles was then told of the legend. Charles, following the time of the English Civil War, superstition or not, was not prepared to take the chance, and instead had the observatory moved to Greenwich. The earliest known reference to a Tower raven is a picture in the newspaper ""The Pictorial World"" in 1883 as well as a poem and illustration published the same year in the children's book ""London Town"". This and scattered subsequent references, both literary and visual,"
"Martin was a large grizzly bear, the first in Britain, moved to the zoo with many other animals from the Royal Menagerie, Tower of London when it was closed in 1832. The zoo was home to the only living quagga ever to be photographed, before the species became extinct in the wild due to hunting in southern Africa in about 1870. Another now extinct species the zoo held was a number of thylacines, or ""Tasmanian tigers"". Obaysch was the first hippopotamus to be seen in Europe since the Roman Empire, and the first in England since prehistoric times. The hippo"
"to the conclusion that ""the ravens were originally brought in to dramatise the alleged site of executions at the Tower"". One legend attributes the start of the tradition of keeping ravens with clipped wings in the Tower of London to Charles II and to his royal astronomer John Flamsteed, although there are versions of the legend that differ in their details. According to one legend, John Flamsteed complained to Charles II that wild ravens were flying past his telescope and making it harder for him to observe the sky from his observatory in the White Tower. Flamsteed requested that the"
"it became his second home: ""One day I was travelling south from Tyneside and I realised this was what I had always been looking for."" Sunderland Museum, with six works and 30 on long-term loan, have a Lowry collection surpassed only by Salford and Manchester. Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens is a municipal museum in Sunderland, England. It contains the only known British example of a gliding reptile, the oldest known vertebrate capable of gliding flight. The exhibit was discovered in Eppleton quarry. The museum has a Designated Collection of national importance. It was established"