Mr BB poses eloquently amongst the fallen silver birch branches
I have a window-side friendship with a blackbird whose well-being and mere existence are my daily concern! He has a little black tattoo-like marking on his bright orange beak and he isn’t scared of me when I am watching him clean, preen and eat berries. He is the off-spring of a pair of blackbirds who lived here before I arrived 4 years ago, often seen chilling out in the one silver birch tree that has survived the suburban cull, and that tree is fortunately in my petite back garden.
Mr BB takes siesta
The territory in which Mr Blackbird resides, or Mr BB as I call him, is not ideal for him or any bird. He lives in a city quarter encased by a maze of maison de maître with few trees and skylight to keep him in leaves, berries and water, but somehow he survives. His parents left him here and he has to make the best of his inheritance I guess.
Mr BB has a guest at his “Silver Birch Bed & Breakfast”
I make it sound bleak, but in bird-land real estate I believe the silver birch is quite a possession since several other blackbirds have threatened to take over his territory many times! He has won every battle to date but the complex battles of tree-chess followed by wing-jousting is rather barbaric for my eyes.
Mr BB pecking at seeds
Mr BB eyeing up his pear dessert
The territory, the battles, the silver birch, the berries…. they can only mean one thing for Mr Blackbird, and that is he must find love! Like him, I have spotted the very rare fleeting flyby of the female blackbird with hope that she will hang about long enough to realise he is a good catch. But these ladies fly by very fast with their clipboard and pen, and they don’t stop! Each time, Mr BB takes a take breath and then looks sad as he watches the moment of his future flash before him and disappear. Each time, I have felt the pangs of an aging mother who is watching her son grow into his middle-age without the prospect of ever finding love!!
So I celebrate today with this article because Mr BB “seems” to have found the promise of love and she is quite a catch – smart, confident and very perky when with her new beau! I don’t believe she is too keen on the nesting sites he has shown her (they are a bit mossy!) and I get the feeling she will be looking to remedy that quite soon. But for now, I continue to feed them pears and fresh water, top up the bird bath, and enjoy the new Spring in the air 🙂
Mr BB showing his real estate to Mme BB… she doesn’t seem too impressed with his proposed nesting sites!
Mme BB faces the paparazzi for the time
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Yayyy so happy to see Mr BB found love – great news!! Look forward to seeing little BB’s next spring 😉
Thanks J! You know how dear Mr BB is to me. This article is dedicated to him and to all those who seek love! He’s now relocated to warmer lands with Madame BB, but they may be back in Spring for their garden of pear paradise.
I’m sure they will return to their safe haven in Brixelles with mucho pears – I’m sure they think about them everyday while they are away xx
There is a part of me that hopes they found a more beautiful place to be together than here; my small garden, even with tasty pear offerings, is not exactly paradise for love birds! Mr BB knows he is loved where ever he is. Perhaps that is all that really matters. 😉