[Gate]

Just in the last two days, I have noticed the female blackbird which camps out in our garden pulling leaves off various bushes and trees and flying off with them into the thickest bit of the ivy before emerging sans leaves. So she's leaving the leaves in there somewhere. But is this nest-building? Dumb question, I suppose, but I have been wondering, because the leaves have all been fresh green ones. The ivy (which is a standard hedera helix, quite mature over a wall and fence so it's like a hedge) seems like a good place for a nest - well away from anywhere where the cats or squirrels go, out of the wind and weather, etc. Is there anyone more familiar with blackbirds' nesting habits than me who could shed some light? And should I be helping the lady out by putting out some nesting materials in a blackbird-accessible spot?

[Harry Hussey]

Hi 'Gate',
I should very much think that your Blackbird is building a nest.Mind you,'our' local pair have one fledged young already....
Harry

[Michael Frankis]

Yep, nest building. They use green leaves for two reasons, first camouflage, and second, because some leaves (and they know which, somehow!) are insecticidal, and help keep lice and fleas away from the nest

Michael

[rogerk]

My Dad once found a Blackbird's nest in the middle of Stevenage Town centre, in a pavement planter, with young, in January!

[Gate]

She's definitely nest-building - even I can tell that now: she was taking twigs and dry leaves/grass in this morning. All the work is being done by the female, though: is that normal for blackbirds, or have we just got a Homer Simpson male?

[alan_rymer]

She's just doing a spring clean!.
Like all women, she just stick anything she doesn't want in her version of the garage!.

either that, or, she's nest building!.

[jayhunter]

My Blackie's have been at it for a fortnight now my male seems to have done the lion's share. They too have picked a site in amongst the Evergreen Honeysuckle and Ivy that is on a climbing frame erected to hid the 600 gallon domestic oil tank. I believe the hen to be sitting as when my wife mowed the lawn on Sunday and got too close she flew out and scolded her. I am a bit worried about next doors five cats getting access via the oil tank.

[helenol]

QUOTE] Like all women, she just stick anything she doesn't want in her version of the garage[/quote]

Quite.

[Gate]

Well, she was still grafting away this morning, while the male ate mealworms. Perhaps I should put out some beers and a TV so he can watch the footie while she tidies up....

[Pobble]

Notable difference in reported behaviours. Nearly all females work their socks off but males differ significantly. I have a female building like mad for the last week. Her mate keeps a very careful lookout from adjacent trees and fences, and used "contact calls" to keep in touch. He varies his lookout according to where she is (gathering twigs, grass in the garden or mud and bits of plastic wrapper from the field just outside) He has had to see off several inquisitive magpies and a couple of nosy starlings.

his relationship with the magpies is interesting, since his best observation post is about 3m from a pair who are nesting in some overgrown hawthorn in the field next to my garden. A few inches out of position to see what his missus is doing, and he finds himself up against a fierce male magpie.

[eileengard]

'Our' female Blackbird has been sitting in her nest for about three weeks, at least.
There are three eggs in there.
It is on top of a gas flue.
There has been absolutely no sign of a male at all.
What do you think?

[Michael Frankis]

If they're not hatched in the next day or two, I'd guess they're infertile. It does happen to some unlucky birds, just like people.

Michael

[eileengard]

Originally Posted by Michael Frankis

If they're not hatched in the next day or two, I'd guess they're infertile. It does happen to some unlucky birds, just like people.

Michael

Sorry to say, you must be right.
She has flown the nest.
Thank you for the information though,
Eileen

[monkeyman]

Our Blackbirds nested again this year in our holly but the magpies got the nestlings. She is now busy building a new nest in our neighbour's privet (which has been left to grow quite wild!). Nearly every year now she has ended up having to build at least three nests and the most fledged young we have ever seen has been three and last year only one survived. Considering blackbirds lay up to five eggs, this is quite a high mortality rate. Thankfully, there don't seem to be so many magpies around this year, most likely because the council have pollarded all the lime trees in the area where they have usually nested.

[Brown Darcey]

Hi,

Can anyone shed any light......a blackbird has been nesting in a shrub outside my kitchen window. There are two eggs in the nest and she has been sitting on them for over a week. However, I noticed yesterday evening she has gone and I haven't seen her today either. Does this mean the un-hatched chicks will die? We totally ignored that area of the garden purely because we didn't want to disturb her but am worried for the eggs.

Any info would be appreciated!!

Many thanks.

[The Tom]

Seems to be lots of Blackbirds up on my allotment this year but not many magpies .Lets hope the Blackies can have a good year and make up some ground .There is a pair sitting tight in the conifers by the fence so must be due to hatch . Ive even seen the odd Song Thrush and a Wren with looking for lodgings happy days

[Elizabeth Bigg]

Originally Posted by Brown Darcey

Hi,

Can anyone shed any light......a blackbird has been nesting in a shrub outside my kitchen window. There are two eggs in the nest and she has been sitting on them for over a week. However, I noticed yesterday evening she has gone and I haven't seen her today either. Does this mean the un-hatched chicks will die? We totally ignored that area of the garden purely because we didn't want to disturb her but am worried for the eggs.

Any info would be appreciated!!

Many thanks.

Welcome to the forum, BD - it does sound as if the nest has been deserted for some reason, and anyway if she only laid 2 eggs that is pretty unusual too. Maybe her mate vanished, and she had to go off to find her own food? Sorry, but I think that is the end of the story.

[thbirdcam]

Originally Posted by eileengard

Sorry to say, you must be right.
She has flown the nest.
Thank you for the information though,
Eileen

Remove the eggs if you haven't done so already and with any luck they will go for a second clutch. If you leave the eggs then they won't use the nest again and will build somewhere else.

[Elizabeth Bigg]

Originally Posted by thebirdcam

Remove the eggs if you haven't done so already and with any luck they will go for a second clutch. If you leave the eggs then they won't use the nest again and will build somewhere else.

I think this might be illegal! The following is from the RSPB website.

Blackbirds and the law
Blackbirds and their nests are fully protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it an offence to intentionally kill, injure or take any wild bird. It is an offence to intentionally take, damage or destroy the eggs, young or nest of a blackbird while it is being built or in use. It is therefore essential to ensure nests are not destroyed if hedge trimming or tree felling has to be carried out in the breeding season.
Source: Blackbird wildlife information leaflet (2002)

It does sound as if this nest has been deserted (though how can you be absolutely certain of this), in which case the above might not apply, but we had a strange experience in one of our bluetit boxes in 2002. If you look at our website, and read the diary where it refers to Box 2 (or look at the Summary page) you will see that 8 eggs had been laid when we saw a fight, and the nest was deserted. After 17 days, 3 more eggs were laid and eventually 6 eggs hatched.

[thbirdcam]

Originally Posted by Elizabeth Bigg

I think this might be illegal! The following is from the RSPB website.

Blackbirds and the law
Blackbirds and their nests are fully protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it an offence to intentionally kill, injure or take any wild bird. It is an offence to intentionally take, damage or destroy the eggs, young or nest of a blackbird while it is being built or in use. It is therefore essential to ensure nests are not destroyed if hedge trimming or tree felling has to be carried out in the breeding season.
Source: Blackbird wildlife information leaflet (2002)

It does sound as if this nest has been deserted (though how can you be absolutely certain of this), in which case the above might not apply, but we had a strange experience in one of our bluetit boxes in 2002. If you look at our website, and read the diary where it refers to Box 2 (or look at the Summary page) you will see that 8 eggs had been laid when we saw a fight, and the nest was deserted. After 17 days, 3 more eggs were laid and eventually 6 eggs hatched.

Yes Elizabeth is correct. It is too early to tell if the nest is deserted. Looks like this is just the beginning of egg laying...if this had been several days into incubation then the developing embrio would quickly die, however a newly layed egg can sit for sometime before incubation begins. I sure after several days if there is no sign of the birds and no more eggs and if it were me I would also quickly check that the eggs were not warm...if all this was confirmed I would be pretty certain that you had a deserted nest.

I think in your case above Elizabeth, what happened was the birds came back for a second try and the last 3 eggs layed the first time around had not had time to start incubating so started along with the 3 new eggs that had been laid....the first 5 eggs that were layed being part way through incubation died during that spell when the nest was deserted.

[Elizabeth Bigg]

Originally Posted by thebirdcam

I think in your case above Elizabeth, what happened was the birds came back for a second try and the last 3 eggs layed the first time around had not had time to start incubating so started along with the 3 new eggs that had been laid....the first 5 eggs that were layed being part way through incubation died during that spell when the nest was deserted.

John - incubation did not start at all until all the eggs had been laid!

[The Tom]

Originally Posted by The Tom

Seems to be lots of Blackbirds up on my allotment this year but not many magpies .Lets hope the Blackies can have a good year and make up some ground .There is a pair sitting tight in the conifers by the fence so must be due to hatch . Ive even seen the odd Song Thrush and a Wren with looking for lodgings happy days

Had a peep in at the Blackbirds four fine chicks look to be about a week old all seem to be nice and plump the cock seems to be working his socks off in the feeding department haven,t seen the hen much must be shy .

[Zulu Merula]

Aww bless, I love blackbirds. We always have a lot of blackbird activity around here, the resident blackbirds (who I love dearly!) have raised 3 fledglings so far, the female has built another nest and is probably laying/incubating by now as I've not seen much of her. The male continues to feed the fledglings... one of them is getting really dark across its wings so I think its a male. They have almost full tails now and are getting better at flying. Mr and Mrs Blackbird are both really used to me, so much so in fact I'm sure they come asking me for food- I put out raisens underneath a Christmas tree that's pretty close to the back door, and on quite a few occasions when I've got up or come home and gone into the kitchen, one of them has been standing on the bin looking into the kitchen window as if to say 'where's our raisens then?'

In fact yesterday, Mr Blackbird was sitting under the Christmas tree calling: he may have been calling to his fledglings but I think he may also have been calling for a bit of extra help- to get me to come and put some food out!

When it's a nice day and I sit in the garden, if I see the birds I shake the raisen container and this makes them look alert and run towards me, anticipating their food!

[JenWren]

We have a Blackbird nest in our Ivy but worried when after furious nest building the birds seemed to disappear. The nest is near our pond and I was worried the birds had been scared away by my pond peering! A quick check confirmed eggs were present but still no sign of mother bird. Two days later I spot her sneaking in.Eggs seemed to be cold when I saw them, can anyone advise how long do blackbirds spend NOT incubating?

[Elizabeth Bigg]

Originally Posted by JenWren

We have a Blackbird nest in our Ivy but worried when after furious nest building the birds seemed to disappear. The nest is near our pond and I was worried the birds had been scared away by my pond peering! A quick check confirmed eggs were present but still no sign of mother bird. Two days later I spot her sneaking in.Eggs seemed to be cold when I saw them, can anyone advise how long do blackbirds spend NOT incubating?

If blackbirds behave the same way as bluetits, they won't start incubating until the clutch is complete, or almost complete. The eggs can remain viable for a long time - two years ago there was a fight outside one of our nest boxes after some eggs had been laid, and everything stopped for over two weeks, until 3 more were laid and incubation then started. Finally 6 eggs hatched from a total of 11.