Female Blackbird

This female Blackbird and her partner had a very difficult breading season. I first spotted her taking nesting material into a shrub last year, neither she or her partner allowed me to photograph them as they were just to quick flying in or out!

As the weeks passed it was obvious that they had young with both the male and female bringing insects and worms to the nest, then within a few days of the young fledging the nest was predated by magpies.

 

Within 48hrs this determined blackbird was building a new nest in a thick coniferous tree near to the house it only took her three or four days before she was finished and sitting again the male was always around, after a couple of weeks they had some more young with both parents being very attentive then one morning on the lawn I found a load of black feathers including three tail feathers I feared he had been taken by a sparrow hawk or one of the local cats. It later turned out that it was him that had been attacked but good news he survived but was looking very much the worse for wear he carried on his duties with out hesitation and finally they had four fledglings. Over the coming days I would see both parents with either one or more of the fledglings this went on for a few weeks before they disappeared.

 

Sadly this year blackbirds have just not visited the garden to much of a degree, although I don’t miss the persistent alarm call that they give out.

Done