The singing blackbird – Part 2

—

door

Jan Willem
in

The singing blackbird – Part 2

It is actually a miracle that we experience the blackbird up close. About two hundred years ago it was a shy forest bird that was rarely seen. Blackbirds slowly moved to the villages and towns and appeared to thrive there. In a sense, two types of blackbirds developed that also showed differences: the forest blackbird and the city blackbird. As early as 1920 it was established that most city blackbirds have their first nest in March and wood blackbirds in April. The city as a habitat influences blackbird life in numerous ways. Winters are relatively warmer, there is more light and there is plenty of food from street waste, on feeding tables, lawns and berry bushes.

City blackbirds have also almost completely lost their migratory desire and winter in the Netherlands. And the ‘spring hormones’ start earlier. Not only do they breed in March, the breeding season also lasts longer. The city blackbirds also start singing earlier in the morning than their shy counterparts deep in the forest.

5 blackbird tips

The blackbird is one of the most numerous breeding birds in our country – except in really open areas, the blackbird manages to survive everywhere – although the numbers of blackbirds are declining for reasons that are not yet entirely clear. In 2016, a nasty bird virus broke out, the usutu virus, which affected blackbirds, among other things. In addition, several extremely dry periods followed in the following years. Worms then go deep into the ground and are inaccessible to blackbirds. The blackbird population suffered a major blow – a third fewer blackbirds were counted in the Netherlands fairly quickly. Fortunately, there has been a recovery since 2020.

Bird Protection and Sovon Bird Research Netherlands declared 2022 the ‘Year of the Blackbird’, to find out more about how we can best protect the blackbird. Because of course we want to honor the blackbird. Together with everyone in our neighborhood.

And do you have a garden? These are the 5 tips.

  1. FRUIT.

Blackbirds love fruit. Place fruit scraps in the garden or on the feeding table or leave some fruit hanging on the trees.

  1. BROWSE.

Blackbirds like to browse in it in search of spiders and other insects.

  1. LAWN.

They find their favorite food in a lawn: earthworms.

  1. BERRIES.

Choose berry-bearing shrubs and trees such as rowan and firethorn. Besides bringing a lot of color to the garden, blackbirds love the berries.

  1. CLIMBING PLANTS AND SHRUBS.

Blackbirds like to nest in dense shrubs and shrubs because they feel protected there.

These five tips can also be viewed in a video starring the mighty beautiful blackbird. The video can be found on the website of Bird Protection Netherlands.

Enjoy the beautifully singing blackbirds this summer!

Green Play and Environment Working Group