Has anyone else noticed a sudden increase in the number of blackbirds about? Up at our allotments earlier this week they seemed to be feeding in every berry bearing tree and also eating the windfall apples. I think perhaps lots of them are ones which have come down from Scandinavia for the Winter and that its been an extra good breeding year for them.
Yes and also lots of pigeons and robins. BTW, what are those black birds called? I've always wanted to know and no one I've asked seems to know.
Funny,we were just commenting on how few there are here at preent. Normally we have up to 17 males in the garden, but today we saw the first one! They were around until the end of the breeding season and then ..nothing!
I am the same as Eric, no blackbirds around in my garden since the end of the breeding season. They are around but just not in great numbers and not visiting me :( :( :( :( they must be still in the countryside eating the wild berries. Either that or the local sparrowhawk has had a feed :'( :'( :'(
We have the normal quota of blackbirds this year... I presume you mean Blackbirds Jean not blackbirds which could cover crows and rooks etc...
::)
Hi Saddad
Yes, I did mean 'Blackbirds' and not black coloured birds generally (although we do have several Crows on our field as well)
I am in Ipswich, and fairly near the East coast where lots of migrant birds come in - and that's why I thought our recent 'population explosion' of Blackbirds may have been due to Winter migrants. In the countryside nearby we get large flocks of Fieldfares (related to the Blackbird) but haven't seen any of these yet, its usually in January / February when we see these.
'my' blackbirds have been back for about a week, eating apples (not cookers, wont touch them) and sultanas and raisins.
one is a lot tamer than the others and eats at my feet i call him James Bond (hes gorgeous ;))
we had our first blackbird today, the birds are back in big numbers, thrush, blue tits and great tits, bullfinch, hedge sparrows, and, of course, our friends, the collared doves :)
Billy Blackbird is back! He appeared in the last fortnight. I wasn't too sure whether it was really him...until he sat on his favourite perch and lorded it over the garden. He looked in such a state after rearing his young I wondered if he had worn out completely. He looks in fine fettle,bright eyed and shiney feathers. Good lad!
Our 'invasion' of Blackbirds seems to have moved on now - probably because they've eaten all the haws, sloes, pyracantha berries and elderberries on the bushes on the allotment - but our resident pair is still about (he has a few white feathers so I know its him) and they were feeding from the bird table on my plot.
Lots of other birds about today, Longtail Tits, Robins, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Sparrows, Doves and the Sparrowhawk, which was being chased off by the Gulls.