Just Had An Email From A Friend

[viv41]

Three blackbirds in a nest in her garden have fledged today. She stood and watched them and she said it was a wonderful sight. In the past nests in her garden have been attacked by magpies, but this year they were left alone. Lovely ....

[Tilly2]

That is good, Viv. I hope they all manage to evade the magpies and the cats.

[Baldric]

Nice one, good news

[viv41]

I know after surviving in the nest, that would be awful. They will nest again, she usually has three lots of fledglings throughout the season.

[viv41]

Thanks Baldric, my friend was really excited !

[Chipchopper]

Good news!
They must be very prolific birds.

[237SJ]

Yes, blackbirds will have 2 or 3 clutches of eggs in a summer. Every time that blackbirds have tried to hatch eggs in my garden, the magpies have done for them.

[viv41]

That used to happen in my friend's garden and she used to do her best to chase them away, but not always succesfully. Anyway this year, they have nested and fledged succesfully, hope the next lot do as well.

[EcclesCake]

A magpie did for one of our baby blackbirds one year. The poor mother was going mad and getting very vocal. Sadly the youngster didn't make it and I decided to leave the mother in peace before heading out to dispose of the dead baby. A few minutes later I turned around to find the mother eating her fledgling. Nature can be beautiful but it also has a gruesome side.

[viv41]

Blimey eccles that's a shock, I would NEVER have thought they would do that !!!

[EcclesCake]

It was a shock and got worse when the chickens made a run for the baby bird. At that point I took myself off to another part of the house :-(

[viv41]

Bunch of cannibals the lot of 'em ! Nature is cruel, there's no doubt about it ....