A blackbird winked at me
Discussion
We have a friendly blackbird in the garden. I know it's not uncommon for blackbirds and robins to get quite fearless when you are turning the ground over, but this little fellow goes a lot further. For instance, he will let me get within an arms length when he is on the bird feeder, quite happily continuing to peck away.
Yesterday, I spent quite a few hours in the garden, and when I was working near the feeder, there he was again, chiselling away at a fat ball. But when I looked again, he had become quite still, and I was surprised to see his eyelid close, and he gave every indication of having a little nap. I was close enough to reach out and touch him. He turned his head a bit, and the eye on the other side of his head was open!
Does anyone know what this behaviour signifies? Ever seen such a thing?
Yesterday, I spent quite a few hours in the garden, and when I was working near the feeder, there he was again, chiselling away at a fat ball. But when I looked again, he had become quite still, and I was surprised to see his eyelid close, and he gave every indication of having a little nap. I was close enough to reach out and touch him. He turned his head a bit, and the eye on the other side of his head was open!
Does anyone know what this behaviour signifies? Ever seen such a thing?
That's interesting. I might try blinking at him!
He was quite clearly just doing it with the eye facing me, not the one facing away. I thought he might have been sick at first, but no sign of that later, and he is out there busying himself in the garden today, just as usual.
Oddly, he only seems to want to get friendly with me. I took my four year old granddaughter out there once to get a close look at him and he wouldn't let her get anywhere near without flying off. He even took a bath yesterday with me standing a few feet away.
I wonder if I bought a tub of mealworms I might get him to hand feed?
He was quite clearly just doing it with the eye facing me, not the one facing away. I thought he might have been sick at first, but no sign of that later, and he is out there busying himself in the garden today, just as usual.
Oddly, he only seems to want to get friendly with me. I took my four year old granddaughter out there once to get a close look at him and he wouldn't let her get anywhere near without flying off. He even took a bath yesterday with me standing a few feet away.
I wonder if I bought a tub of mealworms I might get him to hand feed?
It's lovely to teach kids how to appreciate the natural world around them. You don't need to go on an African Safari - there's plenty to see in your own back garden. Earlier this week my four year old granddaughter and myself were watching my blackbird taking a bath. She told me she had never seen a bird doing this before. The look on her face was precious.
Last week she spent all of one afternoon playing with a wood louse she found in the garden, making it a home in a plastic box. And some people from Forest School came to her nursery school recently and had a nature hunt in the garden.
Last summer I was at her house, reading her a book in the garden, swinging in a hammock, when a sparrow chick landed virtually on top of us, obviously just out of the nest and not having too good a time of it. It stood on my finger, and you really got the impression it was desperately after help, from any quarter. We took it indoors, and after a bit of Internet research we made it a meal from mashed up and watered down cat food. It had a little meal of this from a cotton bud, and after about an hour suddenly shot out of the window and back into the garden. I hadn't talked with her much about this since, but a week or two back she said that she still sees this little bird when she looks out of her bedroom window into the garden. How could I disagree!
It's lovely to interact in some way with the wild life around us, and to be able to pass this joy on to our kids. Pity the kids who grow up without this encouragement.
Last week she spent all of one afternoon playing with a wood louse she found in the garden, making it a home in a plastic box. And some people from Forest School came to her nursery school recently and had a nature hunt in the garden.
Last summer I was at her house, reading her a book in the garden, swinging in a hammock, when a sparrow chick landed virtually on top of us, obviously just out of the nest and not having too good a time of it. It stood on my finger, and you really got the impression it was desperately after help, from any quarter. We took it indoors, and after a bit of Internet research we made it a meal from mashed up and watered down cat food. It had a little meal of this from a cotton bud, and after about an hour suddenly shot out of the window and back into the garden. I hadn't talked with her much about this since, but a week or two back she said that she still sees this little bird when she looks out of her bedroom window into the garden. How could I disagree!
It's lovely to interact in some way with the wild life around us, and to be able to pass this joy on to our kids. Pity the kids who grow up without this encouragement.
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