To think the blackbird is doing a bloody good job as a single parent?

[HarrietKettleWasHere]

I spent the weekend in my Dad's huge countryside garden.

Last year the resident blackbird had a partner, but sadly this year she's either tragically died or has absconded.

He's doing a wonderful job as a single parent, run ragged feeding his newly hatched chicks. He's feeding them mostly invertebrates but to give himself the odd break he's using the suet coconut shell. Do you think that's the birdy equivalent of occasionally shoving chicken dippers and potato smileys in the oven for an easy tea?

Colin and Collette the collared doves look like they're going to have another bash at child-rearing. In the three years I've known them, I've sadly come to realise they have an extremely lax approach to child-rearing, so it'll be interesting to see how that pans out for them.

The house sparrows have expanded yet again to the point that the laburnum hedge they populate puts me in mind of the Zona Franca area of Barcelona, such is the level of noise, daily fights and wonton shagging.

Any interesting bird goings on in your gardens?

How big are they, LifeChanges? Are they Jackdaws? There’s tons of them roosting in the old mill near us, they make a lovely “chack, chack” call to each other.

I love blackbirds. When I did the garden one follows me around hopefully.

Dig

What a lovely thread! I had blue tits nesting until this year. It was lovely (and stressful) seeing them fledge. I don't know why they didn't come back this year (probably because of the Tree Killers next door who chopped down 3. THREE old oak trees. They bought the house, with oak trees, moved in and decided the lovely 100 year old trees- supporting loads of ecosystems and birds - were spiking their view. They were all chopped down post haste. Pesky trees with their birds and leaves spoiling their garden.

Mrs Robin has done a fine job of nesting and now I’m presuming her brood have hatches as Mr Robin has reappeared and they are both swooping in all day with morsels for their babies.

Sometimes they sit outside and sing for joy.

I love waking to the dawn chorus at this time of year ( and then snoozing off again).

It actually massively upsets me when people hack down trees, it breaks my heart to think of all the creatures that would have lived in them

Oh look at his lovely peepy little face!

I don't know of this still works but if you ever get wind that a neighbour is going to chop down a very old tree, inform the council as they may need permission/it may be protected. We saved an absolutely huge beautiful holly tree that way, that next door were boasting about 'hacking down that eyesore'

I think I have dunnocks nesting at the back of the garden. They are wonderful, 4 babies who spend their time when mum/dad isn't there with their beaks wife open to the sky as if waiting for a a magical worm to fall into it. Mum is stocky with a yellow and brown belly. I've had to cordon off their nest area with a football goal and a few metres of kitchen foil because my horrid cat has her eye on them

Ohh, what a lovely picture Matilda!

I know Harriet, I cried when the first one came down - it was massive but completely healthy, not near houses etc but 'y'know, it blocked their view'. Although, as their garden is over 100 foot long they could have happily sat in its shade and looked at the view. Now they're building a patio!

Your bird watch is lovely. Mr Blackbird is doing a good job. I didn't know they had multiple nests! They're not work shy are they?

We have moved out to greener fields this year and have had blackbird nest in gutter and a wood pigeon nest in the kind of conifer that I thought birds didn’t nest in? Kind of worries me as we’re prob having it taken out in sept (is that late enough) to replace with hawthorn and other natives... maybe not such a good idea? Conifer is vile though.

You should be fine in September. Leave it mid-way. It sounds like you're replacing it with something nice

Well done Blackbird. I have two cats but my seagull friends dive bomb them when they have chicks so they dare not go out during the chick months so the little birds are safe.
Me and the gulls are old friends (10 or so years) so they always bring the chicks to see me as soon as they can fly and I give them a bit of fish.
There are several bird families in the big hedge and I'm afraid my collared doves are equally useless and lose their eggs to the crows every single year.

National Rail have just cleared acres of woodland. In nesting season. Bastards.
We have all sorts nesting in the garden and they are costing me a fortune in mealworms.

Love garden birds😊
We have 4 feeders on the go in our small garden.
Lots of vocal blackbirds :)
We have a hedge full of sparrows, lots of blue tits, great tits, robins, starlings, goldfinches.
We’ve had a beautiful Jay this week and 2 pairs of long tailed tits a few weeks ago.
A heron was an unwelcome visitor when we had snow (he ate our three pond fish and numerous frogs :( )

*Leave it until mid sept!

Unlikely but some birds crack out one last batch very late summer if the weather has been kind.

I can't work out how NR got away with doing that. I thought birds and their beats were protected.

*NESTS!

Not on national rail property apparently.

I thought you couldn't cut hedges from March until August? National Fail can't have some sort of indemnity?

MothertotheLordsofmisrule 😂 Crows are like my friends at school, they're the Goth kids who'll beat people (or cats) up. I love crows, they're 'ard.

Apparently they do. My local area is outraged.

Ursula that's awful! Has anything been done about it? I mean in terms of confronting the train operator (do they own the banks)? Poor birds.

I need to know more about “wonton shagging”.

I love birds. I have a lifelong goal to befriend a bunch of crows so that I occasionally get followed around like the terrifying goth I strive to be, crow shit and all.