Ravens are amongst the earliest of breeders in the bird world but, even knowing that fact, I was very surprised to see such a well-grown youngster with its parents at a local beach on Thursday. I struggled to find breeding information other than on Wikipedia, which gives figures of 18 to 21 days for incubation and 35 to 42 days for fledging. Counting back, that would mean this pair were egg-laying at the beginning of December, which I would not have believed if I hadn’t seen this family with my own eyes.