Hi I'm new and have a question on behalf of my 7 year old daughter who has recently become interested in the birds in our garden after buying a Garden Birds logbook.
We seem to have a new bird in our garden and we thought it was a young female blackbird but it seems to have a speckly chest like the thrushes that come in our garden. We've been googling for ages and are getting a bit frustrated now....can anybody help us please?
life's what you make it
Hi Hevz and welcome,
You are correct in that it is a blackbird and I was sure about female, but not sure if it is a young one or not. Now I wonder if it could be a young male - its back looks very dark like it might be turning black. The experts will say for sure?
There is a very good photograph of a female blackbird here that shows a similarly speckled chest:
http://www.treknature.com/gallery/photo193444.htm
Ande here is a young male and it does look like your one:
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/b/blackbird/feathers.aspx
If I remember correctly, thrush and blackbird are the same family.
Hi hevz
I have a houseful of boys here, good to have someone else with kids here!!
We have been watching a young song thrush being fed this morning. Your young female blackbird looks fantastic.
Welcome + enjoy!! Look forward to more pics + posts - not braved any of my pics yet, as my birds are tiny wee specks in the frame!! Lol
'In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks' John Muir.
Excuse wobbily dyslexic spelling!
Hi,
it's a young blackbird :)) I don't normally attempt to sex them in the field til they are a little older and start to moult adult feathers :)
S
For advice about Birding, Identification,field guides, binoculars, scopes, tripods, etc - put 'Birding Tips' into the search box
Hi and welcome to the forums :o)
Yes, you have a juvenile blackbird there.
Here's one of ours:
Hi Hevz
This is one of my baby Blackbirds
Cheers
Pipit
Thanks for sharing. I take it they're females because of the dark beak....or do the beaks change colour?
I don't think you can sex Blackbirds until they get their adult feathers. You will have to say him/her for a while yet.
Super pictures of the juvenile Blackbirds everyone
Yes, Seymour has a point about sexing the bird until they are a little older
Makes it more interesting if you do not know if you are going to have a boy or a girl - sounds although we are all having babies LOL
Regards
Kathy and Dave