MarkyMarks Nature Blog:-The Blackbirds in the Back Garden #3

Male Blackbird - Photo by Mark Appleton

People can forget how accessible nature is and how it can be appreciated right on our doorsteps and in our back gardens. If you cannot get out for a walk or do not have a garden, hopefully this blog will bring a little bit of nature to you. All these pictures were taken in my garden. The nest is in my sisters garden.

Blackbird in garden - Photo by Mark Appleton

Outside the gardens are getting busy with the Blackbirds spring antics. They are abundant and present on just about every lawn. Males are black with an orange-yellow bill and eye ring. See top picture here. Blackbirds are actually a member of the thrush family. Females are dark brown and a bit spotty which betrays their thrush genes. An Image of a female Blackbird can be seen by clicking on this link here:-  Female Blackbird

Blackbird feeding - Photo by Mark Appleton

Blackbirds eat insects, worms and berries. Earthworms are eaten all year round as long as the soil is damp. Other invertebrates include insect larvae, caterpillars, beetles and snails. Plant food includes berries from hawthorn, elder, ripe fruit such as fallen apples and pears and also kitchen scraps.

Blackbirds nest in sisters garden - Photo by Mark Appleton

Females are seen now gathering moss and small twigs to make a nest. The female mainly constructs the nest, which is a cup shaped structure of grass, straw and small twigs, plastered on the inside with mud and lined with fine grasses Here is one that still exists from last year in my sisters garden. Most birds don't reuse their old nests, no matter how clean they are. They typically build a new nest in a new location for each clutch. Building a new nest in a new location also means predators are less likely to find the nest site before the young birds fledge.

Normally three to five eggs are laid and they are blue-green in colour with russet brown spots. Only the better-camouflaged female incubates the eggs for about 14 days, though both sexes contribute to feeding the young for another 14 days. On fledging the nest, the brood is split between the two adults. The male cares for his group longer than the female. The female may leave to begin another brood and can have two or three broods in a season.

Last year I was very lucky to have a nest built in the bushes in my small garden and with my zoom lens managed some photos of the chicks before they fledged.

Blackbird with young - Photo by Mark Appleton

Blackbird young - Photo by Mark Appleton

Blackbird chick - Photo by Mark Appleton

Young Blackbird - Photo by Mark Appleton

Young Blackbird - Photo by Mark Appleton

Young Blackbird - Photo by Mark Appleton

Interesting fact :- The oldest wild blackbird grew to 21 years of age. The average life expectancy is just over 3 years.
For more information about the blackbird click on these links:- Blackbird  Blackbird_facts

Blackbird singing - Photo by Mark Appleton

This time of year you may hear the male blackbird singing outside your bedroom window as it is getting light or at dusk. It is Fluty and rich lacking the repetition of a Song Thrush. Most garden birds are song birds and contribute to the dawn chorus which will be reaching its maximum volume in April and May.

In my next blog I will talk about which species maybe singing outside your bedroom window and how to pick out which ones are singing.
Blackbird song can be heard by clicking here:- Blackbird Song

and lastly

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