Blackbirds

wye
wye Forum Participant Posts: 241
edited December 2016 in Wildlife, Nature & the Great Outdoors #1

I have been waiting for the Blackbird Apple eating frenzy .

Well its began, each year , when its cold enough around 30 to 40 blackbirds feed in the small orchard outside my kitchen window and yesterday they arrived , one at a time all day long .

This morning Apples still on one tree and Apples on the ground are being consumed like crazy , the squirrels join in too , hopefully we will see a fox appear too , as last year Mr Fox was carrying away them too .

 

Is anybody else lucky enough to see this in there garden ?

Comments

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited December 2016 #2

    Yes we have them here too. Although the temperature has to drop quite a bit to bring them all in. It's a bit frosty this morning so we have a few opportunists plus our regular plump Fieldfare, his pals will join in if it gets colder. We have a Green Woodpecker who also likes the apples still on the trees. smile

  • Bakers2
    Bakers2 Forum Participant Posts: 8,192 ✭✭✭
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    edited December 2016 #3

    We have a couple of blackbirds that have returned. Must be cold as we have two Robins too. Some tits but long-tailed ones haven't been around for ages. Plenty of starlings and sparrows 😃. Dear little Dunnet we've had for years along with the wrens. Squirrel is still about but dog may change that. We live in the town but fairly large wildlife friendly garden and have plenty of ring neck doves and pigeon but the single rook/crow that's been about for last two or three years is now three or four. Don't know where they feed as they done land in our garden 😐.

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,586 ✭✭✭
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    edited December 2016 #4

    It's still amazing that in spite of the need to eat, the blackbirds will continue to set out their territory and there have been numerous quarrels going on today, despite the amount of food I've put out for them. They must waste a huge amount of energy just clearing other blackbirds out. The females are just as bad as the males. Better than tele though!smile

  • Impy
    Impy Forum Participant Posts: 257
    edited December 2016 #5

    No mini orchard for us but we do put all our apple and pear cores in the garden for the blackbird and starlings who seem to love them, the pear cores seem to be the favourite but maybe that is because they are softer, often we watch the blackbird taking the apple cores from the lawn into the flower borders and under the shrubs for consumption, not sure if it is that they feel safer there or whether it is a case of you are not having my apple laughing

  • Merve
    Merve Forum Participant Posts: 2,333
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    edited February 2017 #6

    The Blackbird- one of the most beautiful sounds ever - sitting on the highest branch of next doors conifer on a warm and balmy summers evening and singing his heart out for all to take notice of - and its free.  I wonder how many of us put what we are doing aside just to listen to the splendour above our heads? Love 'em. 

  • Kennine
    Kennine Forum Participant Posts: 3,472
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    edited February 2017 #7

    Like Merve, I absolutely love the Blackbird. Their song is exquisite. We have a pair permanently in our back garden. The female has unusual markings with a white patch on the R/H side of her neck.  

    We are so lucky to have so many different garden birds in our garden.  Our dog protects them by seeing off any cats which come into the garden to kill the birds.

    Cheers......................K

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