returning blackbird

[kingcritter]

About 4 weeks ago, a pesky blackbird with a very distinctive song returned to our garden area to our delight! I remember it left our garden after a stormy day last Sept. Coincidentally, I found a collection of blackbird feathers and assumed that it may have ben caught by a cat or something.


My question is; Where do blackbirds go to...I think it spent about 6 months in our tree last year. Do they travel far? Did it just move across to the other side of the village or to nmore exotic climes?


Another thing...this bird seems to spend so much time purely singing, I wonder when it actually finds the time to eat!

Many thanks in advance.

kingcritter

[Pippa]

Hi kingcritter welcome to Wab


In the winter our population increases a lot, with birds migrating from Scandinavia and Northern Europe. Many of these have duller bills than our birds.

Our resident Blackbirds don't need a lot of space and tend to stay in their own areas, guarding it well.

[RoyW]

Originally Posted by kingcritter

My question is; Where do blackbirds go to...I think it spent about 6 months in our tree last year. Do they travel far? Did it just move across to the other side of the village or to nmore exotic climes?

Another thing...this bird seems to spend so much time purely singing, I wonder when it actually finds the time to eat!

I seem to remember seeing something recently about a ringed Blackbird that has spent the breeding season in one garden, and migrated south-west to spend the winter in a garden in Devon or Cornwall - and has done this for at least the last two years - visiting the same gardens (I can't find any details at the mment though). Ringing recoveries have shown that some British Balckbirds will move west to Ireland, or south to France for the winter, most are thought to only move short distances during their lives though (but there is still room for plenty more research!).

As for the constant singing - perhaps their is so much food available that he can easily find enough to satisfy his appetite - he'll more than likely be a lot less vocal when he has a brood to feed though! (+ if there are a lot of rivals nearby he needs to make it clear which is his turf!).

Roy.

[kingcritter]

Thank you both for your replies. I really wish I could shrink myself and take a lift to see how far he actually travels come Sept! How many more years do you suppose he'll return for? How long do they live?

[RoyW]

The average life expectancy of songbirds is only a few years. Based on recoveries of ringed birds the British Trust for Ornithology gives an average of 3 years for Blackbirds - although the longest lived British Blackbird reached 14 years 2 months, and a German bird was 21 years and 1 month!

Figures are from BTO birdfacts - a web search for BTO will find you the homepage, then click on Birdfacts on the left side of the page and search the index for the species that interest you. (I could have posted the link, but it's easy to find!).

Roy.