Blackbirds

Hi all
I have been watching with great fascination the dynamics between fledgling blackbirds and their parents today. For the last week or so I have had a single fledged blackbird with recognisable markings living around the feeding station permanently. It spends most of the day pecking up scraps that drop from the peanut feeders when the Great Spotted hammer away at them. This week I also put out some sultanas on the ground for it to feed on as its been coolish and wet most of the week and I wanted to provide another high energy food to help it out.

Over the few days more fledgling blackbirds of varying ages have appeared along with their parents. Yesterday I watched one cock blackbird constantly feeding one obviously recently fledged youngster. This youngster is living under a large fern and only appeared from under the fern yesterday when the adult came back to feed it. Watching the same birds today showed the cock blackbird seemingly trying to wean the young one into feeding itself. Despite being pursued around the feeding station by the increasingly frantic youngster it refused to feed it whilst I watched. The cock bird even went and pecked at the sultanas to give the youngster the idea of what it was supposed do. Despite watching the cock bird the youngster did not get the idea at all and just got increasingly raucous in its pleadings to be fed. The cock bird gave it up in the end and flew off, presumably to try and encourage any other fledglings it had to start feeding themselves. The youngster retreated back under its fern but shot out again when the older resident fledgling started to feed on the sultanas and tried to get it to feed it. The older fledgling drove it off from the food and now every time it appears the older fledgling drives it off unless the cock blackbird is with it. Watching this behaviour fascinated me and I abandoned work and started to pay more attention to the dynamics between the birds. After a couple of hours of observation its obvious that the older resident fledgling blackbird has claimed the feeding station as its own and should any other fledgling of what ever stage appear it chases them from under the feeders. The only time it tolerates their presence is if an adult is in attendance to feed them.

Of course this will be common knowledge amongst you proper birders but to me its been a real eyeopener. I have had as much enjoyment watching a common species and learning something new about its behaviour as I have when spotting a bird I have not seen before for the first time. It just brings it home to me that you do not have to rush around forever seeking new species to add to a list when so much enjoyment can be had simply by watching a common species that I have seen for years but taken very little notice of simply because its "common". This is one of the added attractions to me of having the feeding station right outside my office window in the van. Sure its great to see unusual birds on the feeders but to me the most enjoyable aspect of the feeders is that I can observe common species over a long period of time and learn things about their behaviour that I did not know before. Birds are more than just collection of colourful feathers or the latest tick on the list, I think thats a fact thats easy to lose sight of when birdwatching.