How are the blackbirds doing round your way?

[Yamadori]

We've seen very few of them this year, it's a bit worrying really. Their population really does seem to be declining round here (home counties north of London), and I was wondering how far this virus is spreading.

3 or 4 sit in the tree outside my bedroom window singing every evening. They’re lovely.

Midlands. We have a good pair who are in their second brood - feeding the young regularly so hopefully they grow up strong (like the first one did).

We’ve got them here in South East. I saw one in the garden earlier at the bird bath. I love a blackbird.

There are lots in my town. North West.

I've not noticed many in my small garden this year. I'll keep my eyes peeled this weekend.

A few in my garden - SW Midlands. When the Berberis berries are ripe I usually have loads in the garden, but they are not quite ripe yet. There is one male blackbird singing his heart out morning and evening from a tree at the bottom of my garden. It really raises the spirits to hear him.

East Anglia. Lots of them.

Yes, they do seem to really like fruit. My neighbour actually buys berries (raspberries etc) for them which is maybe why I see so many!

Midlands - loud enough that colleagues can hear them on my teams calls! Redcurrant bush was stripped as soon as the berries had a tinge of red.

We’ve got a few here in our garden (Winchester). However a couple of weeks ago we were in the German alps and they were absolutely everywhere. Never seen so many. It was lovely getting up, having a coffee on the balcony and watching them sing. They didn’t seem to have any wood pigeons or collared doves there though which are the main inhabitants of my garden.

I barely ever see them, south west and they were everywhere when I was a child. Lots of other birds like crows and starlings and other little birds around though.

North Northamptonshire and we have loads in our garden and around the housing estate generally. they are always singing at the moment, presumably telling other birds the rain has stopped or that the humans are going to bed or that its time the humans were up (4.30am!!). we've had a couple of babies in the garden too - one was so cute, quite big but clearly a spoiled one as he had both parents running around feeding him instead of him feeding himself

Lots near me in the South Downs. Found lots of eggs on the ground while walking over half term. DD spotted one singing in the park yesterday and got very excited because as she says “Just crows gets a bit boring”

One interesting thing I found out about blackbirds, a while back, is that that PANIC!!! alert that they do at length at sunset is to con other birds that it's not safe around here, in the hope of a peaceful night's sleep.

I can track the ambling of the big tom cat across the gardens by the alarm calls of each successive blackbird.

It’s like the bird equivalent of The Wire

Funnily enough my cat was getting shouted at and bullied by two Magpies in my garden yesterday, it was a terrible noise! My cat’s lazy and only really catches flies so he was quite upset and came in!

Not many here. South London

Am I the only one that saw this and can’t stop singing blackbird by the Beatles?

Lots in my garden in the SW. Lots of magpies lately too!

Lots here on the NE coast of England. My resident blackbird pair are on to their second brood. At twilight, I can stand in my garden and my male will be singing either from my chimney pot or from a tree stump at the other end of the garden. I will be able to see and hear at least three other males from other nearby chimney tops.

I need to look into this blackbird survey if I'm not already too late.

Enormous pair in our garden, well fed. So noisy!!! Chirped at the cat for 10 minutes non stop yesterday.

My favourite garden characters! Not my favourite bird but my favourite characters. I love watching them.

I'm currently doing the BTO Blackbird study. There aren't as many here as earlier this year for some reason.

@DiggoryVenn they don't require you to follow any particular individual bird so you should be fine.

@musicalfrog I hadn't heard of the blackbird study but as an enthusiastic participant of citizen science projects I'm interested. Off to look at the BTO website.

Lots here in Lancashire 🙂

i havent seen any starlings in my area for ages

I have registered for the BTO blackbird survey. I have lots in my garden. I live in Yorkshire. There is are at least 3 active nests and I have a lovely photo of 3 blue speckled eggs when we came across a nest we didn't know about.

I have a water bowl that I fill pretty much daily, they drink and bathe in it, chasing off sparrows who come to bathe together. They sunbathe and I love they way they run across my garden too. I put food out every day for the birds but I will admit that I have a cage over both the ground feeding tray and the water bowl to stop pigeons and magpies.

There are definitely some pairs, some lone males and at least one juvenile.