Early Birds

The blackbird wakes me at 5.30 am with his loud singing outside my bedroom window. I don't go back to sleep and I might as well get up. That is how I saw this scene.

I was thinking of the relief I would get now that daylight saving begins in the morning when the lady blackbird dashed herself against the kitchen window. It was such a loud bang and I hurried out to see what made it. She was breast-down on the grass gasping, with one wing spread out. As I approached I saw terror in her eye. I made myself scarce quickly and watched her from a window.

I think that is best to leave birds alone when they have been stunned, rather than to add to their distress. Sometimes they take a while to recover. The best I can do is to keep watch in case a cat comes along. It took 10 minutes before she could draw in her outstretched wing, and in another 5 minutes she was able to get herself to the shelter of trees.

Still on the subject of birds- I saw the thrush solo parent after finding one of the pair dead on the road. It carried bunches of worms in its beak. Today there are two fledglings hopping about the lawn.