rbb - Blackbird rescue

I'll treat this rescue as a fuly complete sucess, if next year I find a very friendly male blackbird living near my home. Please read on .........

At home, we have a lot of birds - the garden is partly wild / woodland. But one pair of Blackbirds nested under a window, allowing very close observation without disturbing them - we watched from eggs to nestlings. Unfortunately, we had a thunderstorm and torrential rain for some hours over one night. The following morning the adult male was dead on the nest, underneath the smaller nestling had also died, but the larger was just clinging on. There had been no sign of the hen bird for some days at this point.

This album chronicles the rescue........the rate of growth was spectactular.
Ben-de dog's reaction to this orphaned blackbird was most interesting; a couple of weeks into the rescue, I was distracted enough by another task to be late for mealworm delivery duties, I was told in no uncertain terms that I was due elsewere.........
Currently, the blackbird is using a converted shed as a temporary aviary, whilst he(?) develops his flying abilities and acclimatises to the outside world.
He has now moulted enough body feathers to see that the adult feathers are coming in as black. His flying is well developed and he has been self feeding for several days, although still accepts food if offered!

Release back into the garden has now taken place, for a few more days some supplementary food is being left in the shed/avairy (although at least one robin has found the mealworms!).

More images, and possibly a short video to follow (when I can get it off the 'phone).

I'll treat this rescue as a fuly complete sucess, if next year I find a very friendly male blackbird living near my home. Please read on ......... At home, we have a lot of birds - the garden is partly wild / woodland. But one pair of Blackbirds nested under a window, allowing very close observation without disturbing them - we watched from eggs to nestlings. Unfortunately, we had a thunderstor…  (read more)

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