A few posts ago I wrote about the sad tale of a dead blackbird. Well, there is a follow-up.
The male blackbird who was so clearly absorbed by the corpse of the other blackbird has, since then, stuck around and become very tame. I don't feed it or pay it any particular attention, but it does come very close to me while I'm about my potterings in the garden and I see it practically every day. A few weeks back I noticed that it was gathering a great deal of food - largely bundles of caterpillars that it seemed to be gathering from the mature trees at the end of the garden. I suspected that it had young to feed.
Well, this last week, my hunch was proved to be true. There, on the lawn, was the male blackbird in the company of two full-sized, but still clearly young, fledglings. The youngsters were calling to be fed and didn't seem entirely sure what to do while the adult male was doing his best to show them how to look for and peck out an assortment of grubs among the grass. On only a couple of occasions have I seen the adult female in attendance with the youngsters, presumably while the male is off somewhere having a bit of me time.
Over recent days the sightings have become fewer and I would guess that the fledglings are now close to independence and so presumably life for our blackbirds moves on to whatever the next phase is.
Blackbirds - the story continues
A few posts ago I wrote about the sad tale of a dead blackbird. Well, there is a follow-up.
The male blackbird who was so clearly absorbed by the corpse of the other blackbird has, since then, stuck around and become very tame. I don't feed it or pay it any particular attention, but it does come very close to me while I'm about my potterings in the garden and I see it practically every day. A few weeks back I noticed that it was gathering a great deal of food - largely bundles of caterpillars that it seemed to be gathering from the mature trees at the end of the garden. I suspected that it had young to feed.
Well, this last week, my hunch was proved to be true. There, on the lawn, was the male blackbird in the company of two full-sized, but still clearly young, fledglings. The youngsters were calling to be fed and didn't seem entirely sure what to do while the adult male was doing his best to show them how to look for and peck out an assortment of grubs among the grass. On only a couple of occasions have I seen the adult female in attendance with the youngsters, presumably while the male is off somewhere having a bit of me time.
Over recent days the sightings have become fewer and I would guess that the fledglings are now close to independence and so presumably life for our blackbirds moves on to whatever the next phase is.