Gardening
Wildlife watch
The blackbird
Award-winning writer and photographer, David Chapman, introduces the blackbird
The blackbird has a varied diet which changes with the seasons.
In autumn and early winter there is a natural bounty of fruit for the blackbird to eat starting in August with rowan berries; then apples and blackberries during September and October; haws peak in October and November; holly berries in December and finally ivy berries are all that is left for January and February.
The seeds of these many berries pass through the digestive system of birds undamaged and their chance of germinating is actually improved during this process; so blackbirds serve as a dispersal mechanism for all of these trees and shrubs.
At any time of year, except during severe frosts, you may see a blackbird probing the grass for worms and grubs and they are never afraid of coming to the bird table, or even the window, for a free hand out. Of all the treats on offer at the bird table it seems that the blackbird likes sultanas best closely followed by mealworms.
Partly due to its varied feeding but also due to its large size the blackbird fares relatively well in winter, figures for the severe winter of 1962/3 show that whilst there was a 57 per cent mortality rate in other thrushes only about 18 per cent of blackbirds succumbed to the cold.
Blackbird numbers have increased by about 16 per cent in the last ten years and there are currently about four million breeding pairs in the country. Given the number of young birds born earlier in the year and the fact that many more arrive here from Scandinavia, Germany and France in the autumn it isn’t inconceivable to suggest that there might be twenty million blackbirds in the country right now.
More on birds
Reader comments
we have been lucky to have had a white throat blackbird in the garden for 3yrs 3-4 eggs all hatched a disaster for us this week she was driven out by another femsle.we have a largevariety of birds feeding every day but she was the the ONE
Posted by: howard oneill | 29/01/2010 19:33:55
Re Blackbirds, We also have a blackbird with a very white head and shoulders, we have also seen one with a white spot on the shoulder, possibly an ofspring, as he has been around for the last two years.
Posted by: Muriel Winn | 05/12/2009 11:20:23
Firstly We have a local Blackbird thet has white patches. I know this is not so unusual but wonder if it is true that feeding on bread can cause this. Secondly I walk my dog around 06.45 each day and I reckon that Blackbirds are getting less frightened of us humans. Even with our well behaved dog beside me they will stay until we are about a foot away before casually moving away a foot or two
Posted by: Mike Webber | 04/12/2009 20:05:21
We have a blackbird in our garden with quite an orange beek and a white 'v' on his back and small white spots scattered below down his back to the tail. Is it usual to see blackbirds with white patches/spots or is this some other species? Although a more orange bill tends to denote an older bird, this one lacks the yellow eye-ring which would suggest a young bird! It certainly is not a starling and I can't find any other similar species that would fit. Not big enough to be a Chough and anyway, has grey legs. Been around in our garden for at least 2 years.
Posted by: Frances Lindley | 07/01/2009 15:38:31
We have a flock of 12 to 13 Long Tailed Tits visit the bird table two or three times a day. Are we just lucky or is this quite usual ?
Posted by: pat nicholas | 05/12/2008 21:36:14
