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Blackbirds

wildlife, gardening, environment, Rural living, Pets and Vets
stewamax
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Blackbirds

#228792

Postby stewamax » June 11th, 2019, 9:16 pm

The last two years seem to have been especially good for blackbirds, especially in the light evenings when their melodious and surprisingly loud singing seems everywhere here in the Rutland countryside. Just wonderful.

Gengulphus
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Re: Blackbirds

#228996

Postby Gengulphus » June 12th, 2019, 4:48 pm

This last week has certainly been memorable for blackbirds in my case - especially for one particular blackbird which has rivalled a robin for friendliness. I was in my garden latish last week sitting down on a low folding seat to clear an area that had become overgrown with bindweed, when there was a whirr of wings and a blackbird landed a couple of yards in front of me. It then proceeded to hop around quite calmly foraging for morsels in the area I'd cleared and partially cleared, at one point wandering up to within a foot of my feet... And on Sunday, there was a near-repeat of the performance, though on that occasion it only got to within a yard of my feet.

At least around here, they've been quite willing to do their foraging while I'm in the garden - they're not one of the birds that take wing the instant one opens the door to go out. But in the past, they've generally kept their distance - at least about 3 yards of it, and when they've been that close, they've been behaving in a very wary fashion...

Gengulphus

Itsallaguess
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Re: Blackbirds

#229017

Postby Itsallaguess » June 12th, 2019, 6:15 pm

stewamax wrote:
The last two years seem to have been especially good for blackbirds, especially in the light evenings when their melodious and surprisingly loud singing seems everywhere here in the Rutland countryside. Just wonderful.


They're beautiful birds, and I also enjoy their singing a great deal.

I'd agree that there seems to be some sort of resurgence in both numbers and vocal lucidity in recent times, and long may that continue.

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

tjh290633
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Re: Blackbirds

#229068

Postby tjh290633 » June 12th, 2019, 10:54 pm

Itsallaguess wrote:I'd agree that there seems to be some sort of resurgence in both numbers and vocal lucidity in recent times, and long may that continue.

You remind me of the old story about being woken in the morning in Barnsley, by the sound of the pigeons coughing on the windowsill.

TJH

stewamax
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Re: Blackbirds

#229198

Postby stewamax » June 13th, 2019, 1:03 pm

I would like pigeons if they had the variety of song possessed by blackbirds.
As it stands, their incessant da da - da da-da ; da da - da da-da just gets boring after a bit - but especially at 4.30 am

scotia
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Re: Blackbirds

#229682

Postby scotia » June 15th, 2019, 11:21 am

If fed regularly our blackbirds become very tame - and will land beside us when putting out feeding (particularly raisins). On occasion, with the back door having been left open, they will stray into the living room in the hope of further offerings. They also are excellent watchdogs if a cat has strayed into our garden. The warning calls are loud and persistent.

bungeejumper
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Re: Blackbirds

#229694

Postby bungeejumper » June 15th, 2019, 12:22 pm

stewamax wrote:I would like pigeons if they had the variety of song possessed by blackbirds.
As it stands, their incessant da da - da da-da ; da da - da da-da just gets boring after a bit - but especially at 4.30 am

Intelligent birds, though. If somebody put you in a truck and dumped you halfway across France without even a compass, never mind a satnav, could you find your way home?

The early morning pigeons in my garden call "soduku, soduku". Except for the show-off who calls "rook to queen four". ;)

BJ

bungeejumper
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Re: Blackbirds

#229696

Postby bungeejumper » June 15th, 2019, 12:35 pm

scotia wrote:If fed regularly our blackbirds become very tame - and will land beside us when putting out feeding (particularly raisins). On occasion, with the back door having been left open, they will stray into the living room in the hope of further offerings.

Ours launch full-scale raiding parties into the kitchen, sometimes two at a time. We don't mind them hoovering up the crumbs on the worktops, but we're not so keen on what they leave behind them. :lol:

And every now and then we'll walk into the kitchen from the garden and find that we've inadvertently cut off their escape route. So that they panic and fly out into the hall and the other downstairs rooms. That's when the real trouble starts!

BJ

UncleEbenezer
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Re: Blackbirds

#234374

Postby UncleEbenezer » July 6th, 2019, 10:43 am

bungeejumper wrote:The early morning pigeons in my garden call "soduku, soduku". Except for the show-off who calls "rook to queen four". ;)

BJ

Wouldn't it be an alarm call if they spot a solitary rook?


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