Trust me, these birds are magic
AS I was going through my routine of feeding the birds this morning, one feathered friend decided that I was completely trustworthy and started to feed literally a foot away from me.
I fill my feeders with fat balls and crush some up for another wire feeder, but this cheeky blackbird comes along and sits on the wall behind me, until I have put some seed and fruit on the bird table.
So, I did that first today and the male blackbird was almost on my elbow as I filled the other feeders.
In the past few years, we have had blackbirds hopping into the kitchen asking us why the food has not been placed on the bird table.
And why not?
It is a hugely important time for all birds now, as they are not just feeding themselves but also providing for their fledglings.
It is a pleasure to know that I am providing food for these wonderful creatures and the blackbird, in particular, is well worth the effort, because he sits on top of a pole, close to my garden and sings his heart out from the first hours of dawn until early evening.
He needs that sustenance. Blackbirds will also sing in the depth of the night, if they are close to streetlights, which, obviously, confuse them.
All the more reason why we should cut down on the number of lights at night on our streets and buildings.
Their song is a beautiful melodious affair, which is one of the most wonderful things in nature.
It is certainly my favourite song. The blackbirds we have around at the moment are full-time residents, joined in the winter by migrants from Scandinavia and the Baltics. Anyway, the reason why I have to make special arrangements for the blackbird is because they are ground feeders.
They usually eat earthworms, berries and fruit, which means they are happier feeding off the flat surface of the bird table.
However, I have seen them pecking at fat balls, if a branch is close enough to my feeders.
There are some really cute things about blackbirds, the cocking of the head listening for worm movements in the earth during showers and the way that they spread themselves out on rooftops on sunny days.
Yes, blackbirds love to do a bit of sunbathing too.
They are real characters. Male blackbirds are entirely black, with a yellow bill and yellow ring around the eye. Females are dark brown, streaks on the chest and throat. Juveniles are dark brown but covered with gingery streaks.
We have two juveniles starting to visit the garden already, which is lovely.
I think the cheekiness of the blackbird is an endearing quality for we garden bird feeders but it is, obviously, something they need to be at this important time of year.
Hopefully, they can show their fledglings that most humans can be trusted, especially those giving them food.
And then they can pay us back by giving us amazing wildlife moments in our own gardens.