So, Mrs Blackbird seems to be taking up residence, looks like building a nest behaviour, in our dwarf weeping willow tree. The tree is only about 1.8m tall.
It's alongside next doors garage, and forms part of the local feline-highway. The other next door's cat is fond of clambering across it to get to the fence into its own garden. The same route is frequented by most of the other local cats too. None of them are fearful of collecting prizes.
I see this ending badly for the avians.
Blackbirds are pretty resilient. They'll move somewhere else and have another clutch if they're disturbed, so although this particular endeavour may not end well, it isn't the end of the world. In a good season (weather dependent) they can have as many as four clutches.
My garden gets used by most of the local mogs, who seem to like hiding underneath the hedge on one side, however, that hasn’t seemed to bother the blackbirds, who have their first fledgling now, or the starlings, who have three or four, or the sparrows, the blue tits, the coal tits, the goldfinches, the gold crests, the pigeons, the magpies, the carrion crows, the hedgehogs…
There’s absolutely sod-all I can do about them, they come in underneath the hedges on either side, or over the fence at the end of the garden. 🤷🏼♂️
Blackbirds will kick off big time if they see any threat, they’re probably the noisiest garden bird when it comes to alarms.
Blackbirds will kick off big time if they see any threat, they’re probably the noisiest garden bird when it comes to alarms.
I always smile when I hear one shouting "CAT! CAT! CAT!" , which usually sets the Magpies off as well.
Blackbirds are dumb as bricks and frankly most of them deserve to end up in cats. Im mystified by their continued existance.
We have a hardy perennial blackbird nest a couple of metres from our back door.
Cats don't come in because of the walls, but the fledglings can't clear the walls to get outside either.
They keep coming back to nest so it must suit them, but you can't leave doors open until the fledglings have cleared off. We did once, never again!
My resident blackbird family are busy raising their first clutch, hopefully they’ll be here all summer. They provide constant entertainment, and as said ^^^^ they are extremely resilient and will muddle on regardless.
INSTRUCTABLES.COM I always smile when I hear one shouting "CAT! CAT! CAT!", which usually sets the Magpies off as well.
If the magpies are around and chattering, it difficult to know if they’re just having very loud conversation, they’re shouting at each other/the local cats/anything else!
I seem to have acquired a second male blackbird, the one who considers my garden part of his territory isn’t too fussed about it being around, but I’m not sure if there’s two different females; the males are easy to tell apart, the one that’s been around for ages has white spots in its plumage, and a small tuft of feathers that stick out below his right wing, the other is all black and very sleek, but females are just nondescript brown, and I’m not sure if there’s two different ones.
There does seem to be a fledgling blackbird around, it’s got the spotted throat, but I’m yet to see a baby robin!
There’s a few baby starlings around now, demanding attention, I’ve seen a fledgling goldfinch, I’m now waiting for the baby sparrows, blue tits, coal tits, dunnocks and goldcrests, although how easy it’ll be to even see those I’ve no idea!
Don’t know much about Corvids, but they’ll probably turn this into an app
as for the threat from cats, it’s really down to the owners to engage them with sufficient toys.
our cat seemed content to watch the birds as they fed on the other side of the kitchen window.
its more curiosity than hunger.
Blackbirds are dumb as bricks and frankly most of them deserve to end up in cats. Im mystified by their continued existance.
I prefer their voice to yours.
We used to have a pyracantha (insanely prickly evergreen bush thing) by the back door and a pair of blackbirds made a nest in that. We could see them clearly through the kitchen window sitting on the nest then bringing food to the chicks.
All was well for about 2-3 years until the magpies discovered it and they raided the nest one day. We were alerted to it by the blackbirds going mental, looked out the window and there was a magpie in the nest, busy eating the eggs / chicks. 😪
They nested there again the next year but then abandoned it. Shame cos they were super tame, they'd tolerate us walking in and out the kitchen at eye level past the nest and if you left the kitchen door open and gave them some space, they'd come into the threshold and peck around for crumbs.
My blackie in the lean to.
Different spot to last year, hopefully safer from the local cats this year.
Blackbirds are dumb as bricks and frankly most of them deserve to end up in cats. Im mystified by their continued existance.
Yeah? And you know this how, exactly? They’re not as smart as corvids, but then, there are plenty of humans who aren’t as smart as corvids! From my personal observations of the blackbirds who have been visiting my garden for years, they’re certainly no different to most other birds, and are the ones most likely to spot cats or any other kind of threat and make it know to all the other birds.
Young coal tit, and one of the blue tits that share my garden with the blackbirds.
Here’s the male, whose territory it is, the white marks set him apart…
…and here’s his mate, both of them have worked out how to grip the feeder to get at the fat balls, the magpies are the only larger birds who’ve sussed it out.
Apologies for the slightly fuzzy photos, I have to shoot through the glass, with a lot of zoom, and the birds don’t keep still!
A few years ago we had a blackie nest in the garden. While the female was sat on the fence. A Sparrowhawk got her from the neighbours garden attacking from behind and below.
The crows then got the male and the nest
We're being harassed by a crow!
I have a few bird feeders in the garden and a couple of them have fat balls in them.
A beautiful crow arrived in the garden that we'd never seen before. It's an absolute unit. It was trying to get at the fat balls but couldn't hang onto the feeder so I grabbed a couple of balls from the cupboard and threw them on the ground for it, and it swooped down and got them. Did the same thing the next night.
Since then, every bloody morning at 5am, the crow is arriving at an upstairs window ledge that overlooks the back garden where I've fed it and it's banging on the window, I presume to demand that I come out and feed it. It's absolutely relentless. As much as it's a stunning bird, we're not bowing to pressure and we're ignoring him in the hope that he gives up, because I'm really not enjoying being rudely awakened at 5am!
Since then, every bloody morning at 5am, the crow is arriving at an upstairs window ledge that overlooks the back garden where I've fed it and it's banging on the window, I presume to demand that I come out and feed it. It's absolutely relentless. As much as it's a stunning bird, we're not bowing to pressure and we're ignoring him in the hope that he gives up, because I'm really not enjoying being rudely awakened at 5am!
Train it. Honestly, see what you can do, they're super smart birds. If you change the routine, it'll probably realise within a day and stop bothering you at 5am! Your mistake was pandering to its needs first thing. Give it some puzzles to do in order to access the food. There's loads of stuff online about how to train crows, they can become really trusting and friendly.
Yeah? And you know this how, exactly?
They are a member of a very special club - "birds wot my dog can catch". The only other member of the club is the pheasant 😂
