12/06/2026
Ten days in the life of a blackbird family... 😍
I recently added a trail camera to my equipment, primarily to support some survey work that I have begun with the purpose of answering some questions about our otter population on Arran. I'm not licenced, so any camera trapping needs to be done with great sensitivity so as not to disturb otters in their resting places esp holts.
With the land managers permission, I put the camera in a small burn where I often find otter spraint 💩 and left it there over ten days and nights, hoping to gain some insight into otter movements.
Spoiler alert- I did, but thats in a later post... 🦦
The biggest surprise was that when I picked the camera up I discovered that I had nearly 5000 images of the trials and tribulations of a male blackbird aka SuperDad. This little guy was definitely working overtime to get his family fed. 💪🦸♂️ It's a fascinating insight into a common garden bird which has delighted me 🤩.
Blackbirds like to nest in dense bushes and thickets and once the young leave the nest, they skulk around under cover for many days (at least 10 in this case) while the parents feed them. It is often only the male blackbird who does this, especially if the female is preparing for, or incubating the next brood.
Initially I only spotted one chick, but was not surprised to see a second. Towards the end of the sequence I realised that there were at least three babies. The female made barely any appearances, and certainly never fed anyone, and I suspect he was bringing her food on a nest too. 🪱🪱🪱🪱
It was gorgeous to see the chicks splashing in the small pool in the burn, and even start to forage for their own food. It looks like the male successfully raised all three despite the presence of a number of non native predators, including regular mink visits, and two different domestic cats. 😱
A super effort by a familiar bird that is often overlooked by birders. ❤️ 🏆
1. Dad feeding a chick.
2. There are two!
3. Feeding two greedy mouths
4. Three!
5. Chick taking a bath.
6. Female blackbird- mum?
7. Chick starting to forage for itself.
8. American mink
9. Large well fed cat
10. Smaller tabby pattern cat
