Male Blackbird ( Turdus merula )

Blackbirds were feeding on the windfall apples, or to be more correct a Blackbird was feeding on the windfalls.  If any other Blackbird appeared it chased them away.  Which makes seeing about a dozen feeding together on windfalls as I went in to see Kanyl interesting.

Blackbird populations have been reasonably static for the last couple of decades, having settled at about 80% of the 70s population.  They can be long lived birds with the record age (proved by ringing) being 15 years 2 months 5 days.

It is tempting to believe when you see a Blackbird in the morning and afternoon it is the same bird.  This is probably not true.  A colour ringing study showed one garden in the study village had 30+ different individuals sighted.