For the last few mornings I have woken to the sound of birdsong. A blackbird has taken up residence in a tree adjacent to my house and sits there for hours singing his heart out. It's magical. Blackbirds are well-known for leading the dawn chorus and my singing blackbird would not be remarkable, were it not for the fact that he's the only bird around here ballsy enough to do it. I live at the edge of Southampton Water and the dawn chorus is usually made up of the cries of squabbling seagulls, loud enough to drown out the delicate trill of any native songbird and certainly a warning for them to steer clear. But this brave fellow boldly stakes his claim early (4:48 am yesterday!) and the seagulls are staying away - at least for a few hours in the morning. It may not last for long, so until the mating season gets properly underway and the gulls muscle their way back in, I'll give thanks and enjoy every minute.
The picture shows the blackbird sitting in the tree near to my house in Hythe, Hampshire, at 11:17 on Friday 7th March 2014.
Click on the link to read more about Blackbirds.
