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Image-of-the-Day by Subject

Image Taken on 11 May 2015 at 18:23    Image of day on 10 Jul 2015

A female blackbird makes an elegant landing, raising the tail a second or so after touchdown.


Ref: 20150710_e63_20150511_1823_023_fb1 blackbird female just landed on stone(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image of day on 08 Jan 2006

By chance the next batch of photos caught the (probably the same) Female Blackbird landing at the same site (4 days and 142 frames later in real time - hurray for digital cameras rather than a roll of film a day).


Ref: 20060108_d3e_28750 fb1 blackbird female landing 2006jan06_07-51-34(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 20 Nov 2025 at 07:27    Image of day on 09 Jan 2026

A female Blackbird starts the new day with a look around the hedge bottom.


Ref: 20260109_e63_20251120_0727_025_fb1 blackbird female landing on hedge bottom stone(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 03 Jan 2010 at 10:36    Image of day on 11 Feb 2010

The strained pulp from making blackberry jelly (from frozen blackberries stored raw in the freezer is a big hit with the animals in cold weather.


Ref: 20100211_d35_20100103_1036_039_fb4 blackbird female launching with blackberry jam waste (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 29 Apr 2021 at 07:02    Image of day on 02 Jun 2021

As the first beams of sunlight reach the meadow, the female Blackbird is already out and about starting the day.


Ref: 20210602_e6a_20210429_0702_332_fb5 blackbird female lit by first sunshine(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 22 Jan 2021 at 07:48    Image of day on 19 Feb 2021

Female Blackbird demonstrates her 'The Exorcist' style twisting head movement.


Ref: 20210219_e63_20210122_0748_146_fb1 blackbird female looking upwards(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 12 Feb 2025 at 10:20    Image of day on 16 Mar 2025

A pair of Blackbirds has taken 'ownership' of this hedge bottom site. This female manages this nice selfie, but the male doesn't have any sense of how to get a good picture :-)


Ref: 20250316_e63_20250212_1020_057_fb1 blackbird female on hedge bottom stone(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 05 Dec 2012 at 10:30    Image of day on 30 Dec 2012

A very nice female blackbird surrounded by the dregs of the minor snowfall.


Ref: 20121230_d36_20121205_1030_087_fb4 blackbird female on ice tree-stump top(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 09 Feb 2006 at 17:25    Image of day on 17 Feb 2006

Blackbird female standing on one leg on the much photographed log.


Ref: 20060217_d3c_20060209_1725_700 fb2 blackbird female on log(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 11 Jan 2019 at 12:33    Image of day on 13 Feb 2019

A patch of loose soil (where the collapsing straw bales spent some years rotting) is a regular hunting patch for this female Blackbird.
Here she kept still long enough here for a little portrait.


Ref: 20190213_df3_20190111_1233_045 blackbird female on loose soil(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 09 Apr 2011 at 07:34    Image of day on 12 May 2011

... hidden in Ivy high on a South facing wall.


Ref: 20110512_df1_20110409_0734_059 blackbird female on nest in ivy (crop)(r+mb id@432).jpg

Image Taken on 15 Mar 2013 at 11:23    Image of day on 19 Apr 2013

Female and male Blackbirds identically cropped in images taken near midday on consecutive days. This is the female.


Ref: 20130419_d3b_20130315_1123_088_fb3 blackbird female on perch(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image of day on 01 Jan 2006

We believe this is the mate of yesterdays male blackbird - evening of the same day at the same site after the food was topped up.


Ref: 20060101_d3c_26594 fb2 blackbird female on snowy log 2005dec28_16-05-28(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 08 Feb 2015 at 14:51    Image of day on 17 Mar 2015

This female Blackbird posing nicely. We think she is the female of the Winter Migrants, where the males have Black beaks.


Ref: 20150317_d36_20150208_1451_140_fb4 blackbird female on tree-stump top(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 30 Jul 2024 at 13:11    Image of day on 13 Sep 2024

Its Hot - what's a elegant female Blackbird to do but pant?


Ref: 20240913_e6a_20240730_1311_055_fb5 blackbird female panting in hot sunshine at meadow site(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 14 Feb 2008 at 07:27    Image of day on 13 Mar 2008

A female blackbird having a good peck at the log. Her beak is open and her orange tongue is visible. There is nothing wrong with her eye - it's covered by the protective membrane (a sort of third eyelid) that birds have. In other shots it is clear.


Ref: 20080313_d3b_20080214_0727_191 fb1 blackbird female pecking at log with open beak with nictitating membrane over eye(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 26 Jan 2017 at 12:20    Image of day on 05 Mar 2017

Molehills are well used by the local bird populations as loose soil to explore for food. Here is a female Blackbird picking out corn grain scattered a few minutes before.


Ref: 20170305_df3_20170126_1220_005+007+008 blackbird female picking corn out of mole hill 2-4 of 4 (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 02 Jan 2019 at 14:57    Image of day on 10 Feb 2019

Birds don't have 'expressions', but this female Blackbird looks pretty pleased to have found a sultana.


Ref: 20190210_e62_20190102_1457_030_fb5 blackbird female picking up dried fruit(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 09 Aug 2022 at 09:19    Image of day on 18 Sep 2022

A female Blackbird seems to be almost gleeful as she pecks at the ground at the meadow site. The thin fibrous material you see on the ground is Badger fur.


Ref: 20220918_e6a_20220809_0919_081_fb5 blackbird female picking up food on desiccated grass at meadow sie(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 27 Jul 2025 at 16:26    Image of day on 13 Sep 2025

Here are various stages of the female Blackbird collecting two Blackberries from a ripening bush outside the conservatory, and flying off with them in the direction of a nest in the hedge to the west.
She failed on her first tug, successfully tried again at a different angle, collected another berry (missed that moment) before flying off with them both.
We have seen similar behaviour several times since.


Ref: 20250913_d72_20250727_1626_252-318 blackbird female plucking whole blackberries & flies off with 2 03+05+12+17+19+22 of 22 (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg

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