Spring and the White-Headed Blackbird

The clocks have gone forward and I’m home this evening with the sun still shining on the garden. It’s been a beautiful sunny day and even quite mild. But I awoke this morning to a heavy frost and temperatures down to minus 2.

I’m pleased to see my old friend – The White-Headed Blackbird is very active in the garden. Not quite sure what he is doing, perhaps trying to attract a mate. I wonder if the other blackbirds recognise him as a blackbird or think he’s part of a different gang? He was doing a lot of nest-building last year and built one in the standard bay tree but there didn’t seem to be any sign of a family being reared. There are several other blackbirds around the garden with patches of white feathers, perhaps they are his offspring. Anyway it’s good to see he has made it through another winter.

I’ve always thought of him as a male and I know male blackbirds are black and females brown, he always looks darker than the usual brown but perhaps he is a she?