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What's this blackbird up to?

BijdezeeBijdezee Posts: 1,484
edited May 2020 in Wildlife gardening
In a corner of my garden on the outer edge is my bird feeding station. I have been giving dried mealworms and some apple for ground feeders. I've seen blackbirds there taking food but I keep disturbing one under the shrubs there. Clucks a bit and flies off, I looked and couldn't see a nest. Today I looked down and she, saw it was a female, was just staring back up at me. She spends a lot of time there, thought she would be busy with eggs or nestlings.

Any ideas what she might be up to? The blackbirds here are not very tame usually so I was surprised that she didn't fly off. Doesn't appear to be injured. 



Posts

  • Papi JoPapi Jo Posts: 4,254
    My resident blackbirds,  male or female, behave the same. They seem to like "human beings watching" just as we like "bird-watching".  ;)
  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
    edited May 2020
    Blackbirds in my garden spend a lot of time foraging for food in the leaf litter under shrubs.  Perhaps yours has struck a particularly rich vein.  An ants' nest, perhaps?

    A male blackbird (I think it's the same one)  often comes down when he sees me with a trowel in my hand, and I flick small earthworms in his direction.  Last week, he brought two fledglings with him for two or three days, but I think they must have moved out, because he's unaccompanied this week.
  • BijdezeeBijdezee Posts: 1,484
    Just now I went there to leave some apple and there were two, male and a female. They chided me and flew off.

    Maybe you're right, they found some food/insects there. 
  • lilysillylilysilly Posts: 511
    I had the same situation over the weekend with a female blackbird. She settled herself behind pots of leafy plants, upon the second shelf of my uncovered shelving of a standing plastic greenhouse.
    She didn't move when we were outside or when the dog was near. My husband put some food and water down for her and later on when the garden was empty she was seen eating through the window, and then returned to her hiding place.  Her mate would come and perch on the fence and "chat" to her but she stayed put. On the Monday morning I noticed she had gone.
    The magpies had been raiding the ivy in the little copse area across the road. The blackbirds were going berserk. Each nesting season you hear a noisy panic amongst the nesting birds as they have their nests raided. I wonder if she was in a kind of shock and needed somewhere safe to recover, but don't really know why she hid herself away.
    She is back to eating worms etc as I've seen her in the flower borders today. She has a white feather in her wing so I know it's the same one.
  • BijdezeeBijdezee Posts: 1,484
    Thanks Lilly, that's Interesting. I wondered if something like that might have happened here as we have magpies and Jay's here. If so then I hope they lay another brood. 
  • lilysillylilysilly Posts: 511
    They will I expect lay another brood. Last year the same nesting site was raided two times at least when I was around to hear it. I know it's only nature and the magpies also have chicks to feed, but I did wish they'd clear off and give the blackbirds a break. Magpies, handsome as they are, are one of my least liked birds to have around. In a short while I will be awoken daily by the youngsters noisy chattering in trees close by. I can tolerate the crows and jackdaws noise but the magpies really annoy me. 
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