After watching the pair of blackbirds in my garden working a flat out shuttle system to feed their vocal brood, here's proof that they had some success. We've seen two youngsters out of the nest with the female. The thing that really surprised me was that they come out of the nest when they're very vulnerable, they can flutter and hop but not fly. The youngsters then live mostly on the ground while they continue to develop while the mother continues to feed them.
When I first saw this one hopping about behind the shrubs in my garden I thought he'd left the nest too soon, but having read up on it a bit, it looks as if it's normal. Seems like a high risk strategy to me but luckily we don't have any cats living nearby.
This photo is at about 2 weeks out of the nest. We're still seeing them around a bit but I think they're nearly at the stage when they'll be on their own. It's been great fun watching them and I'll be a bit sad when they're gone!
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