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Wednesday 10 July 2013

Watching the wildlife in the garden


 I have just been sitting in the shade at the table in the garden with my cup of tea and enjoying watching the antics of our resident blackbird and his wife.

 The attraction was this little tree - amalanchier canadensis - which has tiny fruit they apparently enjoy but these are on very delicate little branches not strong enough to take even the weight of a blackbird.

 Mrs BB came first and tried to take a berry and her weight made the branch bend so much she fell to the ground but still with the berry in her beak.  She flew off into the woods you can see over our fence here and soon returned to have another go.  Maybe she has young ones who all want one!

 After a couple of trips Mr BB arrived and he had a different approach - he stood on the ground beneath the tree eyeing up the prize and then jumped up to grab it!  After a few turns each they didn't return - maybe because the babies had had one each or maybe because I was trying to get a photo.


This is the same couple of blackbirds I think who came daily in the winter for their porridge.  Yes I did say porridge!  I was having porridge each morning for my breakfast and wondered if the birds might enjoy the pan scrapings along with the seed I usually put out and yes the blackbird did like it and started to come every day, bringing his wife, and to be ready and waiting when I put it out.  One morning I decided to have muesli instead and he got very annoyed that there was no porridge to the point that I actually made a small amount of porridge for him and he soon gobbled that up and seemed to say "Not before time"!  He has become incredibly tame - too tame for his own good I think and he will have his bath within feet of me sitting on the bench outside the kitchen door.  Mrs BB is a little more circumspect though and if she sees me she flies off but Blackie as I call him is as tame as a robin now!!  Thomas is no danger to them now that he is elderly and a bit slow but I can't be sure no other cats are not hiding in the garden - it would be sad if Mr BB's trust is misplaced one day.

14 comments:

  1. I have blackbirds eating the amalanchier berries today too - mine are trying to learn to hover to get them!

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  2. Me too! They started a couple of days ago!!!

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  3. I have Amlanchier but no Blackbirds. They used to be here but I haven't seen them for quite some time.

    I think you had fun watching them.

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  4. I love watching all the birds in our garden. There are no cats about because of all our dogs so I think they feel safe.
    Rosezeeta.

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  5. We have just been watching a blackbird family which recently nested in our garden
    Julie xxxxxxx

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  6. haven't noticed blackbirds after our amelanchier, must keep an eye out. I've just been watching the housemartins dive-bombing our cat Daisy who keeps sitting watching them on the garden wall. I hope they are too fast for her to catch! C x

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  7. We have a pair who wait patiently outside the kitchen door for breadcrumbs, or in fact, any crumbs. Like yours, they are very tame.

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  8. Lots of blackbirds and babies here too Jane but there are too many other birds around for them to become less wary. They are well known, like robins, for becoming tame. I even have an old book about it which I will send you the name of. You must have a way with them I think. What a joy.

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  9. How lovely to spend a few moments enjoying the birds. We have robins in our garden who come to eat berries off a tree and they are so entertaining to watch - better than TV I say!

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  10. Every time I sit in my garden I see something of real interest. The trouble is that I only sit in the garden when I have a visitor - otherwise I'm working and must be missing a great deal.

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  11. Your English blackbirds have the loveliest song; I noticed it right away when I was visiting England a few years ago. They look similar to our blackbirds but sound much nicer I think. I do hope Mr. BB will keep a sharp eye out for renegade cats!

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  12. Our blackbirds have an enormous fat baby following them around - they look very weary of parenthood! We've been feeding them raisins as a treat!

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  13. I've loved reading about 'your' blackbirds. We have a pair that nest in the garden every year, but I've never thought to feed them porridge!

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  14. My blackbirds love the alpine strawberries that grow like weeds in the garden. I have noticed they have become very tame in the past few years. It must be getting passed on in their genes. I don't like porridge (yuk!) but might make some just for the birds next winter.

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