Lots of action today! (1 Viewer)

[Zulu Merula]

There's been lots of action in the back garden today! Resident adult Blackies have been trying in vain to chase off 2 fledglings, who keep coming back, as well as fending off other trespassing adult blackbirds who keep visiting regularly (and sneakily!) despite being chased off as soon as Cresty or Heather (the parent birds) see them. Then, when I was out, my Dad saw the fledglings attack Woody Woodpigeon (I have no idea why!) who tried to fly off, and as one of the fledglings apparently still had his claws in the poor bird, Woody ended up leaving feathers behind! Well, I get home and watch the birds from upstairs, behind the net curtain where they can't see me, and I see fledglings having a wee forage, parents trying to chase them off (they end up flying all round the garden like a crazy game of catch as the fledglings just fly to the bungalow roof opposite, then back, then to the neighbours shed, and back... they will not leave this garden, bless em, though I do feel sorry for Cresty and Heather as they are making it hard work for them!). Woody Woodpigeon is being daring and has come back, perching in our dwarf blossom tree having a peck at the seeds hung up there in one of those square things- then a cute male spuggy (sparrow for those outside of England who may not know this slang!) hops down the garden and picks up the feathers Woody left behind, flies on to our roof right about the window to give me a goof view, as he 'tosses' his head to arrange them right in his beak, then flies off to line a nest somewhere!

So, although I do feel sorry for Woody being attacked, it's not long before another bird finds his misfortune to their advantage! Isn't that the way of nature?

 

[Euan Buchan]

Yes Ive had lots of action in my garden too lots of Tits on both my feeders and everytime I see a squreel come on it I run out chasing it off lol

 

[Zulu Merula]

Yes Ive had lots of action in my garden too lots of Tits on both my feeders and everytime I see a squreel come on it I run out chasing it off lol

LOL, that sounds like me if I hear a magpie!

 

[seb_seb]

"LOL, that sounds like me if I hear a magpie!"

Must be doing it all day then? If i hear a pirate..I chase him with ma Cutlass!

 

[pauco]

And its the same this part of the world, Blackie's spending more time chasing youngsters of than feeding. But its great to watch their antics, house sparrows have had the best season for about 2 years, + the starling's now are they the clown of the bird world or what!! we watched as about 14 tried to get in our bird bath all at once of course. As we watch them now they are having their last feed before going to roost, and of course what would any evening be without Blackie running round causing havoc with his loud alarm call's no cats or owls or even magpies, just blackie being blackie but hey dont ya just luv em!!
bert.

 

[Zulu Merula]

And its the same this part of the world, Blackie's spending more time chasing youngsters of than feeding. But its great to watch their antics, house sparrows have had the best season for about 2 years, + the starling's now are they the clown of the bird world or what!! we watched as about 14 tried to get in our bird bath all at once of course. As we watch them now they are having their last feed before going to roost, and of course what would any evening be without Blackie running round causing havoc with his loud alarm call's no cats or owls or even magpies, just blackie being blackie but hey dont ya just luv em!!
bert.

hehehehe yeah! I always wonder why on earth so many blackbirds seem to get so alarmed at dusk- I always remember playing out when I was little and that used to be my signal to go inside as it was getting dark!

I love starlings. They are hilarious. I love how they run! I put a pear out on the garden the other day and it was so much fun watching all the birds pecking at it- there were like 4 fledgling blackies, random adult blackbirds as well as the resident male, and a group of starlings- one fledgling starling kept gaping really wide at the pear as if he was trying to swallow it whole! The fledgling blackbird male seemed wary, I don't think he liked the fact that when he pecked at this morsel, it moved! He kept running at it for a swift and cautious peck and then flapping away. hehehhee. Then, the main trespassing female blackbird came when the pear and split into two bits and tried to carry it away! She dropped it with a thud coz it was too heavy, and then Heather (female resident blacky, so called coz she runs along the heathers catching insects) burst out of the next to chase her off, then had a drink from the puddles where I'd just watered away the poop! While all the smaller birds were squabbling over the pear, two woody woodpigeons (can't help but call em that) wandered down the garden as if they were curious as to all the fuss. It was superb entertainment, every time I have a pear now I make sure to throw the core away with some left for the birds to peck at! It was grand!

 

[Zulu Merula]

"LOL, that sounds like me if I hear a magpie!"

Must be doing it all day then? If i hear a pirate..I chase him with ma Cutlass!

Luckily no... we do have them around (magpies of course, I'm not sure about pirates... I'll listen out for suspicious clonking wood noises) but they've been fairly quiet really- they are more on the front than round the back gardens as there's a copse at the front that's really wild and overgrown. Plus I think they (hopefully) think that everytime they come over near my garden, there's a really scary human there who makes loud noises at them (shaking coins in a jar is very effective and funnily enough doesn't scare the blackies off at the same time).