Blackbird – Turdus merula
This month I have chosen the blackbird because the blackbirds in our garden are very busy flicking bark and eating fat balls and I have heard one singing a beautiful song of hope and spring.
Male Blackbird
Beautiful and varied notes,
Fluted and mellow,
Permeate the spring garden,
From dawn to dusk,
A male blackbird serenades his love.
Inky black feathers,
A speckled chest,
Bright orange beak,
Curious dark eyes,
A male blackbird surveys his land.
Hopping on strong legs,
Walking with focussed stride,
Flicking bark and leaves,
Pecking berries with determination,
A male blackbird forages for his brood.
Flying low and straight,
Stretching when at rest,
Sharing space with other birds,
Nesting in hedgerows,
A male blackbird enjoys his life.
Servant of the Corn Mother,
A link to other worlds,
Singing mystic secrets,
Or the devil in disguise,
A male blackbird is a welcome sight.
The blackbird, often called common blackbird as it is one of the most successful birds in the UK has a most unfortunate Latin name – Turdus merula. However, this Latin word Turdus means thrush and merula means black bird so it’s not really a bad name.
It is because the blackbird is a member of the thrush family they can be mistaken for a songthrush when they sing, and vice versa.
I love watching our blackbirds as they vandalise our garden by throwing the pieces of bark all over the pathways without a care or concern for the work this makes for us. But I am glad they enjoy the feast beneath the bark, and I am pleased we use it. They are quite systematic in their search for food which mainly consists of insects and worms, but they also like berries and fruits. I am watching a male pecking up small pieces of fat ball dropped by the great tits and sparrows. His feathers are gleaming in the sunlight.
The male blackbird is easy to identify with its black feathers, eye-ring, and bright orange beak, but the females are often brown with spots or streaks on their breast and can be confused with a thrush. Our female blackbird is quite a dark brown and we see her with the male. They are 24 - 25 cm long with a wingspan of 34 – 38 cm and weight 80-100 kg. That’s 4 - 5 times the weight of a robin. They generally live for three years.
Their song is slow, mellow, and fluty with a huge range of notes. They do sound like a song thrush but unlike the thrush their song does not repeat. It rambles, continuously changing and delighting us. They have several different calls too. An agitated ‘chink chink’ or ‘chack chack’ depending on their accent I guess, a whinnying cry and a thin ‘psew’. I love these descriptions and will listen carefully for these calls in the garden.
Blackbirds start to sing at the end of January at dawn when they are often the first to start the chorus. They continue to sing until dusk when the light has gone dimpsey (an old Dorset word that is rather delightful.)
They live in woodland, parkland, farmland hedges, and gardens and are native to Europe, North America, and Asia. They are also found in Africa and Australia. They can be migratory but in moderate climates they tend to be resident birds. We have had two pairs in our garden all winter.
The males establish a territory during their first autumn and keep this for the rest of their lives. The territory can be as small as 0.2ha and is essential for nesting and pairing although they will travel further to find food.
Around March, a male blackbird will sing to attract a female companion. They can rear up to three broods, each with a maximum of five eggs. They like to nest quite low in places hidden by trees and shrubs. Hedges are a favourite which is why it is important to create more natural hedging if you want a blackbird to choose your garden or farm.
Blackbirds in North American Indian mythology are believed to be servants of the Corn Mother. When blackbirds were seen eating the corn the tribes believed they had done something to upset the corn mother and would perform some rituals to appease her.
Druid legends say their black feathers capture magic and three blackbirds sit in the world tree linking earth to other worlds. Their singing can put the listener into a trance, transporting them to other worlds and imparting mystic secrets.
I shall listen more carefully to the song of the blackbirds in my garden, I like the idea of gaining mystic secrets.
It is believed we can learn much from observing a blackbird.
They spend a lot of time foraging on the ground, walking, hopping, and climbing. This suggests an ability to remain grounded in earth’s energies despite anything that is happening in the world. Something we all need in time of crises and stress, I’m sure.
When the blackbird is resting it often stretches, legs are extended back, wings stretched to their full extension, head titled from side to side as if they are doing their yoga. Wonderful. I shall think of the blackbird when I do my yoga in the garden when it is warm enough.
Blackbirds fly low, short and undulating, but fast and direct when the countryside is open, they move with determination and focus, reminding us to do the same as we travel through our lives. What wise creatures they are.
Many people believe when a blackbird flies into your life your connection with nature and the forces of creation are strengthened. Is this why I am so creative? Because I watch the blackbird in my garden?
However not all is joyful and positive because like many other birds with black plumage it can be seen as a bad omen and its links with other worlds are not always seen as favourable. According to Christian belief, the blackbird is a herald of temptation or the Devil himself in disguise, but in 618 in Ireland a man called Kevin was praying in his monastery with outstretched hands. A blackbird flew down, built a nest, and laid an egg in his cupped hands and he was so devout he remained in prayer until the egg hatched and the young bird flew away. St Kevin of Glendalough is now the patron saint of blackbirds.
What an amazing feat to remain in prayer for so long. My knees ache at the thought.
I think we are doing all we can to encourage our blackbirds to remain in our garden and even choose to nest here. Although our hedges are young and small, we are continuing to create more. The blackbirds obviously love the bark we have on much of our garden so we will continue to provide this as well as growing more berries and fruit.
Hopefully this year will be a productive year for the apple trees for apples stored over winter are good to hang in the garden for blackbirds to feast on.
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