BBC Spring Watch 2026
Did you see Tideswell and its Jackdaws on BBC Springwatch?
If not, catch up on BBC I-Player, about 18 minutes into episode 8, it also includes some fantastic views of the village and surrounding countryside.
The Peak District is a setting for many of our most famous romance stories. But if you look to the Tideswell rooftops, many love stories are playing out among the jackdaws. Jackdaw pairs will stay together for life and in Spring it is time for them to start a family.
In Tideswell they give up their more natural nesting spots of trees and cliff edges for chimney pots and church attics!
The common name of the jackdaw probably comes from two separate words: ‘jack’ meaning rogue (it is a well-known thief) and ‘daw’, which is an imitation of its call.
It eats invertebrates, fruit, seeds and carrion, and occasionally takes eggs and nestlings. A sociable bird, the jackdaw can be seen in flocks, often performing aerial acrobatics or repeating its short, loud ‘kya’ call. Jackdaws mate for life, pairing-up during their first year, but not mating until the year after. The pair will often sit next to each other, preening.
In Celtic mythology, the Jackdaw sometimes appears as a messenger between worlds or a shapeshifter. Its intelligence and adaptability made it a fitting symbol for druids and other wise figures in Celtic tales.
The Jackdaw’s habit of nesting in chimneys and church towers has spawned its own set of superstitions. In parts of Britain, it was once believed that if Jackdaws abandoned a church tower, the church would fall. Conversely, Jackdaws nesting in a house were seen as a sign of long-lasting prosperity for the inhabitants.
Jackdaws were believed to be able to predict weather changes or warn of coming danger. Their sudden disappearance from an area was often seen as a portent of doom, so let’s look after our Jackdaws.
