Blackbirds Feeding

I’ve been watching this male blackbird feed its youngster in our back garden over this past week. Young blackbirds are a warm brown colour and beautifully speckled at this time of year. Later on they will moult all of their juvenile feathers to replace them with the black of the male or dark brown of the female.

This one is looking for Dad to bring him some food, perhaps part of a fallen apple or maybe a juicy worm. The vibration of rain brings worms up to the surface. Dad plucks one out of the wet ground and tries to shove it into its baby’s beak.

Success! Although the juvenile finds it hard to swallow and drops it back onto the grass. Dad repeats the process and there is a lot of feeding practice with the worm.

Last week I was at my Dad’s garden watching some juvenile blackbirds making the most of a gooseberry bush. Hmm, but how to get at them?

Some wing power is required to get that juicy one that looks just perfect.

But remember, don’t chirp with your mouth full!

A gooseberry is a bit easier to swallow than a worm, though it needs a bit of squashing first.

It’s so good to see the next generation of blackbirds thriving. For me, the blackbird is one of my favourite birds. The sound of their singing from March through to July always lifts my spirits. I can’t imagine Spring without blackbirds filling the air with their music.