LAST week I had to go to Scotland to help survey a river and I found the best of one of Britain's most interesting birds.

There is no doubt that it is a crow but to the eyes of an Englishman it looks like a magpie, at least from a distance.

This is the hooded crow, which is only a carrion crow, at least as far as bird scientists are concerned.

There are no carrion crows above a line to the North East of Scotland. Equally there are no hooded crows in England.

Despite this, the two are still regarded as the same species.

Just like the carrion crow in England "the loadie" is hated by farmers. There is no doubt, however, that it is a smashing bird to look at and I left both the bird and the nest in peace.