Return to moorhen home page

Return to section index

Image-of-the-Day by Subject

Image Taken on 29 Jan 2009 at 11:23    Image of day on 18 Feb 2009

Coming up to midday some hazy sunshine balanced nicely with the flash to produce this 'blackbird in the woods'.


Ref: 20090218_d3a_20090129_1123_024 fb2 blackbird female against winter woodland(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 02 Aug 2012 at 05:52    Image of day on 18 Sep 2012

This appears to be a juvenile Blackbird (left) begging food from Mother


Ref: 20120918_d45_20120802_0552_519_fb1 blackbird female and juvenile beak to beak (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 21 Jan 2013 at 14:01    Image of day on 22 Feb 2013

Montage of female (left) and male blackbirds 20 minutes apart.


Ref: 20130222_d36_20130121_1401_043+1340_040_fb4 blackbird female and male (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 30 Jul 2024 at 18:45    Image of day on 13 Sep 2024

Time to feed the kids. Again, and again ...


Ref: 20240913_e6a_20240730_1845_083_fb5 blackbird female at meadow site holding at least 2 caterpillars & other items in beak(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 18 May 2017 at 11:54    Image of day on 09 Jul 2017

The female Blackbird was really enjoying a bath in the fresh rainwater collected in this huge pot-plant saucer. Her head is twisted to her right so the beak points upwards to the left.


Ref: 20170709_df3_20170518_1154_034 blackbird female bathing in pot-plant saucer (crop)(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 13 Mar 2017 at 11:07    Image of day on 22 Apr 2017

On the grass border outside our patch this blackbird was hunting in the soft mud under the grass, moving about in the characteristic 'kangaroo like' bounding motion they use. This was photographed at about 7 fps.


Ref: 20170422_df3_20170313_1107_032-036 blackbird female bounding over grass 03-07 of 20 (accurate montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 13 Mar 2017 at 11:07    Image of day on 22 Apr 2017

A few frames on, the bird is in mid-leap with an unusually good view of the claws


Ref: 20170422_df3_20170313_1107_042 blackbird female bounding over grass 13 of 20 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 13 Mar 2017 at 11:07    Image of day on 22 Apr 2017

Finally she made for a hole in the hedge back through into our patch, and 'vanished'.


Ref: 20170422_df3_20170313_1107_045+046+048 blackbird female bounding over grass 16+17+19 of 20 (slightly stretched montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 30 Apr 2013 at 12:52    Image of day on 09 Jun 2013

We really are not sure where this female blackbird found this soggy mess, but it was probably at an edge of the main pond. It will undoubtedly become some binding material for her nest.


Ref: 20130609_d36_20130430_1252_042_fb4 blackbird female carrying wet pond (q) weeds in beak (crop 2)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 28 Mar 2018 at 17:59    Image of day on 02 May 2018

The Blackbird's nest is much smaller than a Rooks, and needs 'lighter' lining. Here the Blackbird spent several minutes collecting an ever increasing amount of dead grass before, to our surprise, not flying off with it, but just walking through the bottom of the nearby hedge.


Ref: 20180502_df1_20180328_1759_008+020+025+1801_068 blackbird female collecting bedding 1+3+5+7 of 8 (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 28 Mar 2018 at 18:00    Image of day on 02 May 2018

A head-on view the beakful forming a somewhat untidy but otherwise impressive 'handlebar moustache'


Ref: 20180502_df1_20180328_1800_033 blackbird female collecting bedding 6 of 8 (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 20 Apr 2017 at 09:26    Image of day on 14 Jun 2017

This female Blackbird regularly feeds on an overgrown gravel path outside the study patio doors. But here she is clearing some of last years dead grass, undoubtedly to make the nest a bit more comfortable.


Ref: 20170614_e65_20170420_0926_007 blackbird female collecting dried grass nesting (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 08 May 2016 at 05:15    Image of day on 16 Jun 2016

A female Blackbird with what looks like dried grass stems she needs to make that nest a bit softer and warmer. We saw near identical behaviour 24 hours later at the same place.


Ref: 20160616_e63_20160508_0515_094_fb1 blackbird female collecting dried vegetation almost exactly 24hrs apart 1 of 2(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 02 Apr 2017 at 06:36    Image of day on 23 May 2017

A female Blackbird collecting material for her nest.


Ref: 20170523_e63_20170402_0636_080_fb1 blackbird female collecting dry grass for nesting (crop)(r+mb id@432).jpg

Image of day on 24 Mar 2005

We strew some cut grass around the camera sites in the hope of 'seeing' birds collecting it. Well it is disappearing but this female blackbird is the first usable image of a bird taking some.


Ref: 20050324_d3e_12541 fb1 blackbird female collecting hay for nesting 2005mar13_06-59-34(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 07 Jul 2011 at 05:57    Image of day on 14 Aug 2011

Not good Spring for the blackbirds though - we have eyeballed only a couple youngsters over the whole site. This female is obviously busy on a new nest - caught twice in 90 minutes at the same site carrying maximised beakfuls of materials.


Ref: 20110814_d45_20110707_0557_079+0735_089_fb1 blackbird female collecting nesting material (accurate montage 90m apart)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 18 Feb 2008 at 15:45    Image of day on 19 Mar 2008

Blackbird female collecting nesting material. No sign of the male helping, which doesn't mean he isn't collecting elsewhere.


Ref: 20080319_d3b_20080218_1545_035 fb1 blackbird female collecting nesting material (q)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 07 May 2023 at 12:23    Image of day on 27 Jun 2023

At the smaller end of the bird spectrum, Blackbirds are still nest building. These two pics an hour apart.


Ref: 20230627_e63_20230507_1223_278+1313_282_fb1 blackbird female collecting nesting material at hedge bottom (montage over 1 hour)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 04 Apr 2015 at 12:22    Image of day on 21 May 2015

Wattle and Daub, Blackbird style.
This female Blackbird & her mate are making a nest in Ivy just outside the living room window. Most of the material is collect from the edge of the pond 10 metres or so away - a mix of dry vegetation and mud to cement the nest together.
This first load seems to be pure mud from the pond margin.


Ref: 20150521_df3_20150404_1222_076 blackbird female collecting wet and dry nesting material (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 04 Apr 2015 at 14:07    Image of day on 21 May 2015

The female Blackbird's next load is about as much dry grass as she can cram into her beak.


Ref: 20150521_df3_20150404_1407_105 blackbird female collecting wet and dry nesting material (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Comments and requests for image use

To make a comment, ask for information or to request a full resolution image, send us an email including the reference or the date for the image you are interested in.

All initial contacts should be made using the icon below:-