The Garden Blackbirds.
I saw them this morning hiding in the naked tree next door, the tree where I think they nest every summer.
There was no song, instead they looked like they were wary, hopping from branch to branch perhaps checking it out for the nest later in the year.
I wondered if blackbirds migrated or stayed near the nesting site. I also wondered if they were married if they paired for life, so I googled blackbirds.
Blackbirds in Scandinavia would tend to move south to Ireland or England during the winter to avoid the extreme cold. However blackbirds who live in Ireland and England would tend to stay put over the winter maybe moving to a nearby agricultural site to take advantage of ploughing or planting.
The mild winter that we’ve had here in the south of Ireland means that berries are plentiful so more than likely those two blackbirds skulking in the naked tree this morning are the same ones who sing their little hearts out in spring and early summer.
They do not mate for life, every year they choose a different or maybe the same mate again and one male might have three or four broods on the go in the good times. It’s surprising that he has time to sing.
I hope that the building work in the field doesn’t chase away our blackbirds, for years we have enjoyed their song of a warm early summer evening. I saw them this morning hiding in the naked tree next door………