No mate

[FUDGEY]

A tricky probably impossible question to answer, but there has been a Male Blackbird singing his heart out to attract a mate every day for the past two weeks and still no joy. I wonder how often a bird will go through the season without pairing up and nesting even if its mature enough to do so?

[nigel_b]

My little robin is doing the same fudgey. He's got a lovely little nesting box that has been used before, but still singing and no mate.

[Gill Catton]

I think blackbirds are just very territorial and particularly in the evenings will sing and sing even if they have a mate - but its not so much a love song its perhaps more 'come and have a go if you think you're hard enough'

[FUDGEY]

Its quite upsetting Nigel, poor wee bird.

This blackbird sits high on a tree and sings morning, afternnon and evening. He has no nest as its at my work and I would find it if he had.

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by FUDGEY

Its quite upsetting Nigel, poor wee bird.

This blackbird sits high on a tree and sings morning, afternnon and evening. He has no nest as its at my work and I would find it if he had.

Of course you may well be right, but don't worry too much he has months yet to find a mate.

He may well be nesting some distance from its singing post. Likely sites would be ivy growing up a wall or within dense shrubbery. If you sit and watch him constantly for a couple of hours in the morning (7am to 9am is good) if he is nesting you should see him flying off with beakfuls of food.

[SheffieldLass]

It sounds as if he's lost his mate. That happened to the blackbird in my garden ... he had a mate, and she was very easy to recognise as she had coloured rings on her legs. They had a nest, not sure if the eggs had hatched, but then she disappeared, never to be seen again (probably got by a cat), and he spent the rest of the breeding season singing his heart out, morning, noon, night (well, evening ). He never got a new mate that year. He was successful the following two years, with a very intelligent new missus. And he always had a fondness for the female in the next territory ... she was easy to recognise as she was quite light coloured and very speckly, and I'm sure he had his wicked way with her, probably all three years, including the year he lost his mate.