However, the past two nights. There have been as many as six additional blackbirds present. watching from the roofs / trees in the area. Occasionally swooping down to the fence close to the nest
The female continued to feed the young, doing a fantastic job all the while. and once more, as she soared into the nest, we could hear the chicks.
We’ve seen the female go into the nest even though she’s chased them away when she gets close. however, when she enters, the girls don’t seem to be making as much noise.
We enjoyed witnessing a blackbird and her mate soar into our ivy, their mouths stuffed with food for their young. Every time one of the parents entered, we could hear the chicks.
Numerous birds chase away intruders of all kinds, or at least try to In addition to attacking hawks and other predators, crows also take aim at anything that is bigger than them. Many kinds of blackbirds do the same thing. Crows, hawks, vultures, and even Great Blue Herons are preyed upon by Red-winged Blackbirds. However, the Brewer’s Blackbird is most known for attacking people in areas where people live. Perhaps we simply take notice of it more because we are frequently the targets of unjustified attacks.
The attacker is the Brewers Blackbird. For those of you who might not recognize this bird by name, it’s the black-colored, robin-sized bird that frequently wanders underfoot in parking lots of supermarkets and shopping centers. The male features a yellow eye and sleek, glossy black plumage that, in the right light, takes on an iridescent purple hue around the head and neck. Females are brown and not shiny. While grackles and Brewer’s Blackbirds share some similarities, Brewer’s Blackbirds are smaller, have smaller beaks, and have shorter tails than grackles, which are not typically found in Oregon.
Other birds will also attack anything they believe to be a threat in order to defend their territory or a nest. Perhaps you have witnessed a Song Sparrow or a Spotted Towhee persistently attacking a window or the glossy hubcap of a parked car. This is a territorital dispute. The assailant perceives its own reflection in the hubcap or glass and believes it to be that of an intruder. It sees another bird of its kind that needs to be chased away, not realizing it is itself. Even though there isn’t a true intruder and the bird’s efforts are ineffective, he nevertheless continues, frequently engaging in this behavior for several days at a time. This behavior usually starts to diminish once his mate is sitting on her eggs, and it will almost completely vanish when the eggs hatch.
Personally, I’m frequently taken aback, but I also find this encounter enjoyable and admire the bird’s bravery in defending its mate and her eggs or young. When someone calls and asks, “What do we do about these birds that are attacking people?” I try to respond in this manner, encouraging the caller to take in this little bit of urban nature’s drama. I want people to respect this bird for its dedication to raising a family and to understand that, although the attack is unexpected, it is rarely more than that. Although the bird may frequently hit you physically, it rarely causes any harm. Despite the numerous times a blackbird has struck me, none of them have ever so much as broken my skin. If anything, it might have lost a few hairs, but not as many as a nice breeze would have It can be scary, especially for young children, but there’s really not much of a risk. There is never a good reason to move the birds, but if the nest is close to a busy area of the sidewalk, we might need to divert traffic for a few weeks (and perhaps inform people about this event). They will have raised their young in due course and will once more be the timid, kind birds that fly around your neighborhood parking lots.
Human reactions to these attacks are quite varied. Some scream and flee, covering their heads with their coats, purses, or anything else that’s handy. Others attacked the bird with swats to protect themselves. A few individuals chuckle at a tiny creature’s attempt to eject a much larger creature than itself.