Blackcap Mystery

Just after the snow had melted here, I saw a new bird appear in the garden - grey with a brown hat on.  I couldn't for the life of me work out what it was, until three days later when another new bird appeared - grey with a black hat on.

Well, once I'd worked out what a male blackcap was, I could identify the female blackcap who came first.  There was a couple of days when both the male and the female would appear in the garden together, but for the last week the male has been here lots but the female hasn't appeared at all.

Can anyone speculate as to what might be going on? 

Are they a pair? (I had presumed so, but having just read about the steamy sex lives of dunnocks, I guess I shouldn't jump to conclusions!)

Could the female already be nesting somewhere nearby, and the male bringing her food?  (Though he seems to eat everything in sight, so I think it's doubtful.) 

Has the male driven the female away?  Or might she come back again a bit later?

I thought maybe the blackcaps were just visiting because of the cold weather, like the redwings.  But the redwings are long gone, and the male blackcap seems to have made himself at home, and I see him every day.  I'm pleased to have him, though I don't think the other birds are so keen - he's not exactly the caring sharing type where food is concerned.  The other day I saw him chase away two robins and about seven starlings - and I thought anyone coming between starlings and their lunch was a logical impossibility!

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  • Hi BB, the same happened to me - or so I thought. However, "my" female is still around - it's just that I have to be quick to spot her as while the male eats at the table and can be here for up to 5 minutes at a time several times a day, now that the bad weather has gone the female has become a "grab and go" merchant - rather like the coal tits and the great tits. The other thing I have noticed is that she will rootle in the tubs for scattered food whereas the majority of my birds eat from the tables and only descend to ground level if they have to. So, like mine, yours may well be around but she has appeared either when you haven't been looking, or have been looking in the wrong place (mine do that to me a lot!).

    The necessity of bird-watching is a really good reason for avoiding all forms of housework.

    The dust will still be there tomorrow - the birds may not be!

  • Hi BBB & Squirrel

    I'm sure that they will be a pair.

    I have a pair currently visiting my garden (pics of them both in my gallery) and the male spends much more time here than the female does.

    There is also another smaller male who comes along, but the bigger male, who is paired with the female, always chases him off.

    Best wishes Chris

    Best wishes Chris

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  • Hi BB. I've had an interesting blackcap watching winter too. The first male blackcap turned up before Christmas seemingly attracted by a homemade fat block which none of the other birds seemed to like. He camped out out a few feet away gorging himself contentedly. I was getting a bit worried about his cholesterol levels and wondered whether I should crush up some statins for the next block - I jest of course. Since the other birds were not interested all was harmony. However, when a female turned up he was very aggressive and chased her off. Sex was obviously of secondary consideration to survival.

    After the snow cleared a second male arrived and you can imagine the aggression that followed. I positioned another fat block on the other side of the garden and this seemed to sort out the problem. A female would visit occasionally but again was not made welcome.

    During this last week a third male blackcap has appeared so there is a great deal of chasing each other about. Quite what it is that is attracting so many blackaps to my garden I don't know unless word has spread about my special fat block recipe. However, I've noticed that when the female arrives to feed she is now being tolerated although she never stays very long. Also, I've heard the male blackcaps have started singing so I guess thoughts are turning to love. Which one of the three males will hold my garden as their territory and perhaps pair with the female remains to be seen but I rather hope it will be the original male who has been with me all winter. The trouble is I can't really tell them apart.

    It's been fascinating watching all their antics and trying to understand what's going on. My feeling is that that the male blackcap is trying to establish and hold a territory and attract a female. Let's hope your female returns soon.

    ____________________________________________________________________

    Tony

    My Flickr Photostream 

  • I have really enjoyed reading all your blackcap stories. They sound fascinating little birds. Thanks for sharing the tales with one who doesn't see them. I did have one before Christmas, a male, but he never returned.

    Cheers, Linda.

    See my photos on Flickr

  •  

    Hi,

     

    it's too early for Blackcaps to be breeding. Probably another five weeks or so. Many of our winter Blackcaps are probably  from northern europe anyway so they may yet disappear :(

    S

    For advice about Birding, Identification,field guides,  binoculars, scopes, tripods,  etc - put 'Birding Tips'   into the search box

  • She's back!  Just caught a fleeting glimpse this afternoon, as she was ground feeding underneath one of the trees at the bottom of the garden.  And she had the male with her, which was confusing because the male was also hopping about on the sumac tree at the top of the garden outside my window.

    So, it turns out that there have been two males all along.  Now I have seen all 3 blackcaps together, it is obvious, because the male on his own (who is, I guess, the one I have been seeing every day for the past couple of weeks) is a lot fatter than the male who was with the female.  Maybe its the avian equivalent of all those bachelors living on lager and pot noodles!!

    seymouraves said:

     it's too early for Blackcaps to be breeding.

    Does that mean it's too early for them to have paired up?  Or could they be a pair, just not (er...) "doing what the birds and bees do" yet?

    I'm down on the South Coast, so I guess they could be a bit ahead of schedule here, though I suppose 5 weeks is pushing it a bit.

    It will be sad if/when they disappear back to Germany, but at least I'll know they have eaten enough to make the journey - though the lone male is now so fat, I am always amazed he can even get airborne!!

    BB

  • Blackcap are a fab species and it seems that a select number of the population are changing thier traditonal habits! As a member of the warbler family, Blackcap are historically known as a summer visitor with an estimated (BTO) 950,000 breeding territories throughout the UK and 40,000 in Ireland during the summer months. By far and away the vast majority then migrate to SW Europe and sub-saharan Africa to overwinter where the climate is more favourable and food abundance is higher.

    However as you folks are well aware, it has been noted in recent years that more and more blackcap are overwintering in the Britsih Isles. Somewhere in the region of 3000 birds over winter in the UK. Through ringing data it has actually been observed that these birds are not our usual summer "residents" - in truth the recent overwintering population has been found to be a section of the Eastern European breeding population. So instead of migrating south with the rest, they move North and North-west. The winter climate in the UK is far milder than their usual breeding areas in continental Europe. So almost like a more hardy race I guess. The causes of this are still unknown but this may be influenced by climate change?

    Blackcaps Adapting To A New Migratory Path

    Therefore I would predict (in no certain terms) that the birds which you have in your area will move back to the continent during the spring migration. Our summer breeders tend to arrive in the last week of March and April. However, I'm sure there will still be the odd exception to this rule!

     

  • Great information there Lloyd. It will be interesting for me to see if "mine" vanish as they have been around since January but prior to that I had never seen them in any season. I will continue watching to see what happens as they are definitely still here today.

    The necessity of bird-watching is a really good reason for avoiding all forms of housework.

    The dust will still be there tomorrow - the birds may not be!

  • As I write, both the male and the female blackcap are happily eating away just outside my window.  How very obliging of them!

    BB

  • Thanks Lloyd for that excellent piece of information. I haven't any, but hopefully I may have some from April onwards.

    How nice for you Squirrel, Badgerbread and TJ to have these lovely little birds "out of season".

    Cheers, Linda.

    See my photos on Flickr

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