Gruesome corpse

[Carol]

I feed the birds on a ground feeder with a cage over to keep out bigger brids.  I happened to look out and lying beside the feeder was the corpse of a blackbird.  I went out to get the corpse and found a male blackbird had been pecked to death with its eyes taken.  I can only imagine that a Rook or Jackdaw had done this.   Horrible.  :o

[Carol]

[lorna]

Nature can be so cruel sometimes. I hadn't seen blackbirds in the garden for ages but yesterday one was back. Wild birds have been really scarce in my garden for quite some time, I am assuming it is because of the mild weather we have been having and there is so much food in the fields around us. I am hoping they will return now it is colder.

[Hector]

Maybe it died of natural causes and then was scavenged...we see Magpies eating carrion?

Blackbirds love halved apples. WE halve cookers and leave them out for the Blackbirds

[Robert_Brenchley]

It was probably sick or dead. I've seen jackdaws attack a sick pigeon, and magpies go for fledgelings, but they won't normally kill a healthy adult bird.

[Carol]

I don't think the blackbird had been ill beforehand.  I watch out the window constantly and ten minutes before this find I had looked out.  There was an influx of Rooks and Jackdaws  at this time and I suspect one had attacked the blackbird through the cage, rooks have enormous beeks.   I spotted a Rook attacking a young blackbird in the early summer.   

I put out half apples for the blackbirds.  This morning after I had thrown out todays apples  a Rabbit was enjoying the apples.  Cheek.     ::)

Hope your birds come back soon Lorna.  If there is feed there and the birds are hungry they will come back to you.   Merry Christmas Lorna.   Have a nice time with your lovely family.