The Left Bank Thrush

Walking back from my meeting at the end of the afternoon I took a few pics of the Paulownia trees in St Peters Square, which are all in full flower and looking resplendent. They are clearly enjoying their location, and have such a wonderful colour. They really make St Peter's Square a wonderful piece of public realm. Quite a few pics  to choose from, and that was going to be my blip (one is now an extra), but .........

Walking through Spinningfield I noticed a mistle thrush atop one of the banners that adorn the place. It had  some food in its beak so clearly a nest somewhere. I decided to take a pic with my camera, so got it out of my work bag, lifted it up, switched it on, and clicked just in time for the bird to fly off. Or rather to hurl itself towards me, which was not what I was expecting.

Turning around I was amazed to see it standing over a nest in the crook of a small tree, eight feet above ground level. It was feeding hungry beaks but was almost immediately displaced by its partner also bringing in food.

Passing by, oblivious to all this, were lots of office workers. The birds have nested between big office blocks and almost underneath a huge apartment development, and within touching distance. Amazing, so that had to be my  blip of the day.

The mistle thrush is one of my favourite birds, for two reasons:

* it's song does not have the mellifluous tone of the blackbird, nor the variety and resonance of the song thrush. There is something wonderfully wistful about it however, and the birds start singing late winter, and sometimes on bleak windy days. A harbinger of Spring before it is sprung. It used to be called by some the "storm cock" for that reason.

* they are fearless. Territorial in winter, a berry bush still carrying berries is often a sign of a mistle thrush, which will defend its winter larder stock against all comers.