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Blackbirds feeding in garden. (1 Viewer)

Gill Osborne

Well-known member
Just a query for anyone out there who knows anything about Blackbirds (Turdus merula). Today,on and off for most of the day, we've had six or seven blackbirds feeding in the garden...tossing fallen leaves aside,catching worms,helping themselves to mealworms and pecking at the apples I've started putting out for them.
Our garden is just 25ft X 15ft so is not huge!!! What I was wondering is...why, all of a sudden, am I getting so many blackies in the garden all at once? I always thought they were a territorial species! Of the six that are actually in the garden right now (Saturday,2.45pm) one is a brown female,one is a black male with a yellow beak and the other four are extremely dark, almost black it appears, with dark beaks....this year's youngsters? Or do we have a lot of migrant blackies coming to the UK for the winter?
Brilliant to watch them...they are so entertaining!
 
I find the same here, but it was very frosty this morning and the leaves tend to keep the invertebrates warm so they feed in a frenzy early in the morning and seem less concerned as to who is there just to fill their beaks and bellies as fast as possible! I thought it was because I have cats that get let out after the birds have had their fill! Maybe I'm wrong, but the thing I will say is, come next late January then the aggression starts, and the numbers drop as they have their sites and territoties sorted out. Nina.
 
Hi Gill.
blackbirds they are top of my garden bird list, they
are so proud& with an air of arrogance about them.to try and answer your questions,
1. the are only territorial in the breeding season.
2.the all black ones are 1st winter youngsters.
as you said from this years broods.
3.migrants will are in some areas have arrived,
they still have the yellow bill like ours + eye ring
but these look really faded and they just look
scruffy its the only way I can describe them,
when you have seen a few of them you will see what I meen.
As for them coming into your garden now, they are just seeking out other feeding grounds if there
is food out they will keep you amused all year round.
hope this is of some help to you.
regards bert.
 
We enjoy the Red Winged Blackbirds... Agelaius phoeniceus We have been watching them for a while. I the spring the female shows up first...This year there were two. Then later the males show up in numbers. I'm not sure if this is exactly what I am seeing but it apears when the young show up they are all female....Then slowly the male plumage emerges. I have noticed that there seem to be about 100 males to one female. They disapear durring our mid winter cold snap.
 
I think theyll be migrants from elsewhere in Europe, usually they have no/faded eyering and a pale bill. Ive had about 10 in the garden today all showing these signs. They all just appeared out of nowhere and settled in a large conifer, before descending on teh garden to eat windfall fruit and fighting. Someones probly said all this but im in a rush so im not reading other posts (sorry if im repeating information)
 
DoveKeeper said:
We enjoy the Red Winged Blackbirds
Brilliant birds! I remember one June walking along a boardwalk at Wye Marsh, near Mindland, Ontario. All over the reedbed there were loads of Red-winged Blackbirds. Aggressive little blighters - they mobbed me like anything. Really characterful birds and great value.

Jason
 
Gill, there has been quite a big influx in the last four days, keep your eyes peeled you might even get more.
 
Thanks everyone.....I think they are just youngsters. Had seven of them this morning and two of them seemed to have fallen out...kept flying at each other and having a good old ding-dong!!! Kept my bins next to mee on the sofa next to the patio doors so I'm trying to look for eye-rings etc but can't make anything out yet! Going along to St Mary's soon so I'll keep an eye out for anything about!!! Fingers crossed!!!
 
Hi gill
I think all my blackbirds have gone to your house,
i usually have a pair and a single hen with a white streek across her head thay have all disappeared,
been putting out there fav currents and raisins but
no birds strange, had a great spotted wood yesterday
first in my garden tryed to take a pic but was gone in a flash.
 
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