The blackbirds

tree, blackbirds

The tree across the road where the blackbirds sit. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2018

The blackbird is Swedens national bird. I love blackbirds.

I have some blackbirds that always visits me. They spend a lot of time in the tree across the road, opposite my outside place. From there they can watch if I go out and fill the feeders. Then they fly over the road and eat at my feeders (when the cats are not around). I like watching the blackbirds.

birdfeed

Birdfeed in December. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2017

One of the feeders is in the garden near to bushes and I can watch it from my kitchen windows. That bowl with peanuts flew off last week when it was very windy. I took it indoors for cleaning and haven’t put it back there yet.

birdfeed

Birdfeed. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2018

This winter I also feed the blackbirds on the table on my outside place. Here they get peanuts and sunflower-seeds. And another bowl with mixed goodies for birds. Dried flour-worms among other things that the birds like.

birdfeed

Birdfeed. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2017

This winter it has been difficult to feed the birds as it until recently has been an extraordinarily warm and wet winter with no snow and plenty of rain. At times the birdfeed was swimming in water and had to be regularly thrown away and replaced…

Last week it snowed. This morning we hade -12.7C°. Warmer now, but still a bit below zero. The birds are hungry.

birdfeed, blackbirds

Birdfeed with blackbirds and a great tit. Photo:©nini.tjader.2018

I feed them the year around, but particularly in the winter when they really need it. They compete of course for the food with the smaller birds, like the great tits and the blue titas and the occasional nuthatch. And during spring-summer-autumn also some woodpeckers.

Next weekend it is bird-counting weekend in Sweden. That’s a recurrent activity every winter. We count the birds and report them to an organisation that collects the results and by that can see if certain birds in certain areas decrease or increase. I use to participate best I can. I am not a “bird-nerd” but I find them interesting to watch.

The blackbirds are fun to watch. They are always arguing with each other and competing for the food even though there is plenty of it. The females rule and chase everybody else away from the food, male blackbirds and smaller birds alike.

I take pictures of the blackbirds when I can. Both with my iPhone 7 and my Canon G15. Always through the window, which means I don’t get all that close. This time of the year the natural light is also extremely poor so not that easy to get good pictures. But, here are some of my blackbird-pictures. And one of a great tit that took the opportunity to get food when the blackbirds weren’t there.

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