Zulu Merula
Blackbird's Momma!
Hooray! After the second nest failed Soot and Smudge have raised some lovely healthy little fledgies! They came out of the nest this afternoon, I heard it happen because I'd heard them cheeping and I could tell (after having had many blackbirds nests) that they were at that age where they'd be coming out- when they are ready to fledge they stop cheeping and start trilling, that's the best way I can describe it. So, they were trilling and then there were flaps, and then I heard a flap, a little startled cheep and a scratch against the fence, so I knew one had come out. I had to go inside and do some things and when I came back outside I could hear them trilling from various different places. I had a look through the foliage and saw one perching on a branch and then Soot came and fed it some raisins, it was very cute. I'm really pleased there are fledglings again this time! Then I heard a lot more cheeping and the twittering of adult linnets- and a linnet family landed on the roof opposite and I saw, for the first time ever- linnet chicks!! So it was a very good afternoon, hehe.
