Parenhood

10th May 2013. I was walking around the garden when I noticed a small ball of feathers hidden in the grass, only a couple of arm lengths away from me. I could have stood on it!
It stayed still very quietly, just breathing. It was a baby black bird that had only just left its nest.

I moved away hoping that its parents would be nearby. They were. In fact, there was also another baby black bird hidden in another part of the garden, 3 or 4 meters away. The parents were kept very busy picking up worms and insects and flying from one baby to the other.

Then, a magpie arrived into the garden. I am not sure if it had realised that there was a very tasty snack for it lying low in the grass or under a bush but Daddy blackbird did not take the chance and bravely tried to distract the magpie away from his fledgling. This annoyed the magpie which would retaliate. In the clip below, I managed to capture the key moments of that special day. Unfortunately, just as I switched off my camcorder, the black bird flew into the magpie at such speed and with such force, that the magpie lost its balance, fell on the ground and remained dazed for a couple of seconds. The magpie had had enough at that point and flew away.

Juvenile black bird eating a Bramley apple

In the wild, birds can't eat apples until the autumn when they are ready on the tree, so it is quite a treat for our feathery friends to get to eat them at other times of the year.
This clip was taken in May. The bird you see in the clip is a juvenile black bird who took a fancy to my apples. It would be one of the first animals to come and eat the apples I would put out every morning. As you can see, it just loved them!

Female black bird warming up with the sun rays

I noticed a female black bird lying down on the grass with both wings wide open. I wondered if maybe she was unwell. I went to get my camcorder to film her. By the time I came back, she was sitting but her feathers were still up puffed up.
But actually, there was nothing to worry about. She was just sunbathing and preening herself.
Have you ever witnessed such behaviour yourself?

What's strange about this black bird?

In case you have not worked it out yet, this particular black bird has lost his bushy tail. He is left with just one feather, which also looks ready to fall out! Not sure why. Maybe, the black bird had a fight with another male... Any ideas yourself about why the black bird lost his tail??

Black bird trying to eat seeds from bird feeder

Recently I posted a clip on a smart black bird doing great acrobatics to reach the seeds on my bird feeder.
As they usually are ground feeder, manufacturers do not bother making bird feeders for them. Being much larger birds than the finch or robin type, their bodies just don't fit on the little perches.
Anyway, in the clip below, you will see a black bird desperately trying to copy his smart mate…. unsuccessfully... You can see him getting frustrated, flapping his wings and tapping his right food. Although the clip does not show it, the bird failed his attempts. He did jump but could not stay on the feeder like his friend can and just flew away without any of these sunflower seeds.
Enjoy!

Animal evolution - Smart black bird

When we first moved into our rented accommodation 18 months ago, the black bird(s) in our back garden would stand underneath the bird feeder waiting for the goldfinches and other small birds to drop seeds on the ground to eat them. After a few months, the black bird had learned to fly up to the seed tray to feed but the supply would often run out.
Only recently has the black bird worked out how to get seeds from the seed station. It is quite tricky for him because the station is designed for small birds and black birds are simply too large to stand on the little perches.
And he is loving his new acrobatic achievements. Look how he opens up his legs. Quite impressive! Have a look at the video too!

Doesn't that look sore and uncomfortable to you? He is a smart cookie though.




To appreciate how hard this is for him, you need to compare his behaviour with his mate, another black bird, desperately trying to copy him....unsuccessfully.....