Blackbird

Elaine · Mon May 04, 2009 11:13 pm

My husband was clearing up the Purple Sprouting Broccoli plants on the allotment today and having up-rooted three of them, he called for me to go have a look. There, right in the middle of the plant he was about to up-root was a female blackbird, sat on her nest!! He still says he doesn't know how he saw it and actually had his hands on the stem, ready to heave it out. That plucky bird stayed put. So, husband has now replaced the netting (which was there to protect psb from birds!) and it's fingers crossed that all will be well. We're just relieved that he saw the nest in time as we would have felt dreadful if we had destroyed it. On the same note, "our" Great Tits are back in the nest box, on our shed wall on the allotment too.

Cheers.

oldherbaceous · Tue May 05, 2009 5:42 am

Dear Elaine, i always find it amazing how long birds will sit tight in their nests, so as not to give their eggs, chicks away.

I once had a Wrens nest in a brussel plant, an amazing nest constructed completely out of moss.

Elaine · Tue May 05, 2009 11:10 pm

Dear OH. I think the prettiest nest I have ever seen, is a Long Tailed Tit nest. A beautiful woven structure made of spider silk and clothed in lichens. Absolutely a work of art.

Monika · Wed May 06, 2009 5:33 pm

We have had a dunnocks' nest in the middle of our rhubarb patch in the past. It made harvesting the rhubarb difficult because we did not know exactly where the nest was (just saw the birds carrying food into the greenery), but we found it when the rhubarb died down in autumn.

This year there's been a successful blackbirds' nest in a neighbour's garden whose youngsters (the birds', not the neighbour's!) now come for currants to our back door. Meanwhile, mother built a new one in our ivy which was raided by a magpie, we think, so she has moved on into thick ivy along a dry stone wall. So far so good for that one!

Last year we lost a robins' and a willow warblers' nest in the garden, both to a cat. The carnage was horrible.

PLUMPUDDING · Thu May 07, 2009 2:03 pm

Your blackbirds have chosen a dangerous place, it must be well camouflaged to have escaped the cats.

There are 12 baby blackbirds in the garden this morning with three pairs of parents, and a family of robins are also in and out of the bushes. One male blackbird brought his family to the feeders this morning and lined up his four very wobbly ginger babies. Mrs. Blackbird was busy bringing worms and grubs and dashing to and fro while Mr. Blackbird had lined them up next to a piece of brown bread which he proceeded to stuff into their mouths. Obviously a time and motion expert, and not bothered about healthy eating either.

Monika · Thu May 07, 2009 6:54 pm

Plumpuddding, the dry stone wall is nearly 6 foot high and very densely covered with ivy on both sides. It must have dozens of old nests in it, particularly of blackbirds, robins, song thrushes and dunnocks, which have nested in there in the 30 years we have lived here! So we hope it will survive. Unfortunately, we lost one of our young blackbirds today - we came back from shopping in the afternoon and found a headless body on the lawn. Father seemed quite unconcerned and immediately begged for currants, I suppose he is already thinking of the next brood!

PLUMPUDDING · Fri May 08, 2009 9:43 am

I'm very surprised that there are so many youngsters still about here with all the predators around. Yesterday there were firstly Jackdaws, then two rooks and then the Magpie gathering around the babies, then a large black and white tom cat. I'm only letting my cat out under supervision or after dark so she isn't too much of a problem.

My neighbours must think I'm mad dashing out clapping my hands and waving my arms about to scare everything off. It seems to be working though and the Magpies fly off as soon as they see me now.

retropants · Fri May 08, 2009 3:22 pm

I love the noise a baby robin makes while he/she is waiting for food....

twit twit twit twit (on receiving food) tweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet

absolutely wonderful!

We've had two families in our very small town garden, alongside blackbirds, greenfinches, goldfinches, jays, starlings, various tits and I saw a goldcrest a few weeks ago. Unheard of here, 2 miles from Heathrow!

glallotments · Mon May 11, 2009 10:50 am

PP
If you are daft then so am I - I think our birds sound the alarm and expect me to spring into action to defend them from cats and magpies etc.

My neighbours think I'm mad anyway - sitting hours watching a bird mox to film bluetits leaving the nest - laying on my stomach filming ladybird larvae!!

Elaine · Thu May 14, 2009 9:38 pm

Hi Glallotments. Amen to that! Our neighbours thought I was really strange, seeing me creeping around the garden at night, with my little torch, searching for nocturnal insects and moths. The don't bat an eyelid now(ouch, sorry)
Sadly, the blackbirds nesting in our PSB plants have abandoned the nest. The nest has obviously been attacked as it is now at an angle. I only hope she didn't have eggs. :cry:

Johnboy · Fri May 15, 2009 6:40 am

Last week in the high winds one of my tunnel doors got blown off it's hinges and because of the weather I have not been able to repair it.
Yesterday went into the tunnel and an empty 15" pot had been blown over on the staging on its side and when I went to put it straight to my surprise there is a Song Thrushes nest with 3 eggs in the nest.
That means that she has made her nest and laid three eggs well within a couple of days.
The fastest nest that I have ever heard of is a Robin. A woman hung her washing out very early in the morning and then went out until late afternoon and when she went to get her peg bag to take the washing in there was a Robin's nest with one egg in it. Speedy or what!
JB.

glallotments · Fri May 15, 2009 10:36 am

So I guess you will be leaving the door off JB. Or are you installing a thrush flap?

Monika · Fri May 15, 2009 7:15 pm

A few years ago, a robin nested in our greenhouse, having got in through one of the slightly open top flap. We watched her sit on the eggs, the eggs hatching, the young being fed, all at close quarters, whilst carrying on with the usual greenhouse work! When the four young were ready to fledge, I had to leave the greenhouse door open for them to get out because we realised they would probably bash their heads against the glass, trying to get out. Eventually, they all left successfully without mishap!

glallotments · Sat May 16, 2009 10:31 am

We cover our banana plants with straw overwinter and last year a robin nested in the straw so we had to leave the plant covered until the babies left. Fortunately no harm to the banana plant!

Johnboy · Sat May 16, 2009 10:37 am

Hi Glallotments,
Not only will the door be left off but I have moved all the seeds I have on the go and my workbench into another tunnel. The world is now the Song Thrushes oyster. As of yesterday there are now four eggs and she will now begin sitting tight to hatch them. Of course I will be keeping a close watch on her. Because she is rather vulnerable where she is I have put netting across the missing door frame to the height of 3'6" giving her plenty of access as the door is 10' This will deter most of the cats but they are doing a roaring trade in Rabbits at present and are unlikely to bother her.
I have watched her and she flies well above the height of the netting so no problem there.
JB.

Blackbird

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