I've just been sitting by the kitchen door , looking out of the window with bird book & binoculars near at hand, while I listened to the omnibus "Archers" on BBC Radio4.
I couldn't help being struck by how many dunnocks & coal tits we seem to have this summer. They seem to be constantly feeding, either from the feeders or the ground below.
But what really bemused us happened yesterday. It was one of those meals which involves long waits between flurries of activity (a chicken tray bake in fact). During the intervals we looked out of the windows. On our shed roof was this blackbird. Its back was turned to us. It kept making this noise. At first I thought it was a a "chuck-chuck" sound till the Fox commented it was more of a "tut-tut". He was right. Each time the bird made this sound, it flapped its wings close to its body. Its tail feathers fanned out & dipped up & down. This performance kept going for several minutes.
I couldn't quite decide whether the actions were a necessary part in the production of the sound, so unlike the usual mellifluous song the blackbird usually makes. Or whether this was an extra means of attracting the attention of other blackbirds.
Either way it was delightful to watch. I couldn't help chuckling a bit.
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