Carrion Crows v Blackbirds

Photos copyright: Maggie May

You will remember from my earlier post, *dicing with death,* that my neighbour had to postpone her tree pruning because the men who had started to cut back the branches found a black birds nest with fledglings in it. It is against the law in England to interfere with a wild birds nest (though I don't know who would ever be around to prosecute anyone for doing this.)

Well it appeared that the blackbird parents continued to feed the young as I saw them going backwards and forwards with beaks full of worms.

A few days later, there was a commotion going on in all the back gardens. I opened the window to investigate and saw carrion crows calling out loudly and flying around and distressed blackbird parents calling out in protest.

I can only assume their young have been eaten.

If I had have been more up together, I am sure that I could have taken pictures, but it is just as well I missed the actual killing.

Seems to have been a lot of hard work for the blackbirds to try to raise them, all for nothing and the tree lopping had to be postponed for nothing too.

Very shortly after all this, the blackbirds returned to my shrub. You can see in the above photo, just where it is located. They go in somewhere at the top nearest my neighbour's side with nesting material.

These blackbirds need a medal for perseverance, starting all over again to try and raise another family or maybe the natural drive they have to produce live young is very powerful. I really hope those carrion crows don't get the next brood because I feel like shooting them!

If you have been reading my posts regularly, you will know that I have been looking after the girls while their dad went to the south coast on a course that involved an exam. I was really looking forward to doing this. Unfortunately Granddad got very sick within a day of having them here and he was diagnosed with a bad chest infection. He was really ill so couldn't do anything that he normally did to help out.

Within a very short time I was feeling very achey and ill too, so I have had to tumble into bed as soon as the girls went to school and rest. I did go to the doctor to ask him what was going on with me. Difficult to know when you finish chemo, whether cancer is causing a problem or if it is a virus.

The doctor thought it was because my immune system has been stretched to the limits and is working extra hard after six chemo sessions.

Anyway, the girls have been extremely good considering they have never been parted from Sam for so long and they have told me that they like being here because they have a fun time.......

Just Sod's law that we had to get sick on the very days we needed to be well. Sam has to go away again in about a months time for more exams, so we will have another stab at it then.

Footnote: Since this post was published, my neighbour has been in touch with me and told me the adult blackbirds are still going back & forth to the nest in the Eucalyptus. The babies can be heard calling out.

I must have another pair in my garden.

Hidden Nesting and Washing Machines

Photo copyright: Maggie May

These past few days, I have noticed that a pair of blackbirds have been taking bits of nesting materials into my garden shrub. It is a very tall Elaeagnus Pungens and borders my next door neighbour's garden too, with a bit of an overhang, especially at the top.

I am quite excited that they seem to have chosen my shrub, as they usually nest in another neighbours tall Eucalyptus tree, along the terrace.

For young birds to survive here, they will have to evade my next door neighbour's four cats on the other side and my other neighbour's tendency to suddenly chop down everything in sight without any rhyme or reason.

I also get a regular pair of dunnocks, wrens, great tits and blue tits but no house sparrows anywhere in sight.

When I was young, the house sparrows where in such profusion that their chattering could be heard all the time and they would swoop down into the garden constantly. Even when my children were young they were a very common sight. So I wonder where they have gone? I suspect it is because of modern buildings regulations giving no room for little nooks and crannies in roof spaces for the sparrows to nest in.

Some of you have remarked that you are worried about the state of my mangy fox and wondered whether I could do anything to help it. I think the answer is no. If it got so that it couldn't jump the wall and could be trapped by a box, then I suppose that I could call the RSPCA and they would despatch it but it is still too fast and would bite me if I tried to trap it now.

I know that I have had to lower my horizons a great deal....... I no longer work and go to wonderful places or have the same access to the grandchildren, so you will see that I have had to concentrate on much simpler things so you will probably groan when I say that I am quite excited today because I have ordered a new washing machine. I decided to buy locally and that paid off as the company promised that they would deliver the next day and take the old one away as well as reconnecting the new model and getting it ready for its first wash.

The old machine was still working but it jumped about all over the place and some one had to sit on it to stop it travelling round the kitchen.

Can you imagine having to leave a guest mid speech to go and sit on a washing machine in the next room? Or having to stay in until the washing was taken out?

It was one extra burden when I wasn't feeling well having to wrestle with it.

So I hope they do come this afternoon with the new one as I have a good pile of washing to try out in it.

You know what they say about simple things pleasing.......... simple minds?