2011
SU0725 : Blackbird (Turdus merula), Bishopstone
taken 13 years ago, near to Bishopstone, Wiltshire, England
Blackbird (Turdus merula), Bishopstone
The blackbird is as common in woodland and on agricultural land as in town squares and suburban gardens. The male is all black with a yellow eye ring and beak. Females are duller and browner. Young birds are a rather redder brown with pale spots.
Blackbirds nest on a variety of sites from ground level to 40 feet high. They build solid nests of grasses reinforced with mud and often manage to rear four broods in a season. The female incubates three to five blue-green eggs with brown spots, which hatch in about thirteen days.
In addition to the resident blackbirds, there are substantial numbers of immigrants from the Continent which overwinter in Britain. The mellow song of the blackbird stands out in the dawn chorus, but when disturbed it flies off with a series of loud, chattering cries.
Blackbirds are the subject of many traditions and superstitions many of which are contradictory.
It is said that a young girl is able to tell what sort of man she will marry by the first bird she sees on St Valentine's Day (14 February). If it is a blackbird, she will marry a clergyman. If she sees a cock and hen together, she will marry the next year.
The song of the blackbird makes it a symbol of temptations, especially sexual ones. The devil once took on the shape of a blackbird and flew into St Benedict's face, thereby causing him to be troubled by an intense desire for a beautiful girl he had seen. In order to save himself, the saint tore off his clothes and jumped into a thorn bush. This painful act is said to have freed him from sexual temptations for the rest of his life.
It is said that if a blackbird nests anywhere in your house then you can look forward to a year of good fortune. Dreaming of a blackbird may be a sign of misfortune for you in the coming weeks. It also means you lack motivation and that you are not utilising your full potential. However, the sight of two blackbirds sitting together is a symbol of peace and a good omen. Dreaming of a flying blackbird is said to bring good fortune.
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