Golden treasure in the garden

A little ring of gold sparkled in the border as I walked down the path one morning this week. I looked; it looked back!

My Blackbird has certainly been full of the joys of spring for the last three weeks, singing from well before dawn. And it is a sound that I will happily doze to, it is so rich and soulful.

And by the look of him, he is clearly in fine fettle too. His plumage is immaculate, and the yellow of the eye-ring and bill is striking - or would be had he not been rootling around in the damp soil.

But whereas many male birds can flash bits of coloured feathering to their females to augment their display, there is very little a Blackbird can do with an all-black plumage... or so you might think. Because now is the prime time to see bits of Blackbird behaviour that you can't see during the rest of the year.

In the absence of showy costumes, it is all to do with posture. Yes, in good Strictly Come Dancing style, the Blackbird has some moves that he likes to show off in spring.

If a Blackbird is displaying from a tree branch, he will sometimes do some bobbing and swaying manoeuvres.

But it is when he is down on a ground and the object of his affection is right in front of him that he goes into full swing. Now he will ruffle up his lower back feathers is a prominent hump, spread his tail, lower his head, and sing softly, before running to and fro in front of her, twirling with excitement as he goes.

It's not something you get to see very often, but it is these little moments that just add that little extra bit of character to a familiar face, and remind you how special our garden wildlife is.