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Hello Everyone and Dunnock information needed (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter wurzle
- Start date
Tri-Counties Birder
AKA The Portland Naturalist
How do you know that they are the Dunnock's chicks?
It would be amazing if what you think you are seeing is true!
Welcome to BirdForum by the way.
Sean
It would be amazing if what you think you are seeing is true!
Welcome to BirdForum by the way.
Sean
Hi...They are certainly Dunnocks (small blue eggs) and i watched them build the nest and feed the young until a few days ago when this male Blackbird took over and now i have not seen the Dunnocks since..I must mention that this blackbird is a tame bird that has been around my garden since last year and will feed from my hand.I watched him go into the nest last night with a mouthful of food and fly out empty.Sean F said:
Tri-Counties Birder
AKA The Portland Naturalist
wurzle said:
Don't worry! It certainly is not illegal. It is illegal to physically disturb the nest however.
Anyway, it certainly seems like what is happening. Amazing!
Keith Reeder
Watch the birdie...
At the risk of being a party-pooper, the site gallery rules state
ATTENTION GALLERY USERS
Please do not post any photos of NESTS, EGGS OR NESTING BIRDS
and I imagine that applies to pictures in threads too...
ATTENTION GALLERY USERS
Please do not post any photos of NESTS, EGGS OR NESTING BIRDS
and I imagine that applies to pictures in threads too...
I came across this forum because I was intrigued by the close "companionship" of my resident dunnock and a pair of blackbirds. I feed the birds in winter and have noticed that the dunnock is the only bird the blackbirds will tolerate. Indeed the male blackbird chases off the female blackbird sometimes but never the dunnock. When the blackbird comes to feed, the dunnock arrives too and vice versa. The observation of a blackbird feeding dunnock chicks sounds odd, but I have found a reference to the same behaviour from 1968. see:
www.britishbirds.co.uk/search?model=pdf&id=4429
It's a pdf and worth a read. The author kept a record of the visits. The feeding was reciprocal between blackbird and dunnock families. Any ideas? Do the blackbirds mistake the dunnock for a blackbird chick?
www.britishbirds.co.uk/search?model=pdf&id=4429
It's a pdf and worth a read. The author kept a record of the visits. The feeding was reciprocal between blackbird and dunnock families. Any ideas? Do the blackbirds mistake the dunnock for a blackbird chick?
I have also seen this companionship feeding between Dunnocks and Blackbirds
on numerous occasions. I can only assume that the Dunnock is offered some
protection, from being picked on by other birds, in feeding alongside the Blackbird.
Why the Blackbird doesn't seem bothered by the other bird's presence is a bit of
a mystery to me.
on numerous occasions. I can only assume that the Dunnock is offered some
protection, from being picked on by other birds, in feeding alongside the Blackbird.
Why the Blackbird doesn't seem bothered by the other bird's presence is a bit of
a mystery to me.
Parus Minor
New member
Have read of British/European robins feeding the young of other species.
Boro Birder
Well-known member
That's really odd, amazing though going to ask a few fellow nest recorders if they have even heard off it.
Damian
Damian
Why? If its a genuine question that needs a photo to explain behaviour, I think that perfectly ok, nothing illegal, and as long is the nest is not physically disturbed as the Tri-Counties Birder has already pointed out.
Well if you saw the op you would see the observer saw the Dunnocks building their nest and also saw the blue eggs no mistakeing them for colour and size.
Monahawk
Well-known member
Have heard of this too. Great tits have been known to feed or help rear blue tit chicks.
All very fascinating. Any other species seen rearing or feeding another species
chicks?
Si.
Hello Coal Tit.
Yes i saw the original posting and note that the observer observed Bright blue eggs. If we focus on the Pictures of the chicks as presented to us then we can discuss what they look like. I suspect they are blackbird chicks. What happened to the Bright blue eggs isn't certain.
Last year i had Pied Flycatcher fledglings being fed by one male Great Tit (and the PFC parents); Why? The PFC killed his mate and built his nest on top of her (confirmed later when i cleaned the nesting Box.) Things sometimes happen right under Our noses and we sometimes we dont notice.
Peter
Yes i saw the original posting and note that the observer observed Bright blue eggs. If we focus on the Pictures of the chicks as presented to us then we can discuss what they look like. I suspect they are blackbird chicks. What happened to the Bright blue eggs isn't certain.
Last year i had Pied Flycatcher fledglings being fed by one male Great Tit (and the PFC parents); Why? The PFC killed his mate and built his nest on top of her (confirmed later when i cleaned the nesting Box.) Things sometimes happen right under Our noses and we sometimes we dont notice.
Peter
Fozzybear
Ich bin ein Vogelbeobachter
If the male is feeding then that is quite unusual. It's known for female mammals that lose young to take in young of another species if it happens very soon after birth but I'm not sure if that's the case with birds, whose birth process is somewhat different.
Warixenjalka
Birdwitcher
Is it possible that there is other nest (Dunnocks) in that bush too?
gardener dan
New member
I too am a newbie😉. I don't know the answer to your question but interestingly this morning I saw one of three fledgling blackbirds being fed by either a dunnock or a bunting, I think the latter. Daddy blackbird was also hopping around the garden with the dunnock / bunting gathering juicy worms - I also am unclear if this is unusual or not?
