Black Bird Cam

 14th July - 1st August

The Black Bird Cam is at the far end of the Reserve, the resident family here look to be tightly knit clan. The first video provides us with good footage of the 3 clan members interacting. 

Slowly but surely, the cubs are maturing.

13th July

Return visit to Black Bird Cam for the 13th and 14th July. Not much sign of blackbirds but still occupied by the apex resident. Short video from still captures and video from short bursts.

Here we are back at the Black Bird Cam for the 5th-7th July.

Short video sequence and still shots of what the beasts have been up to

Have you ever asked the question "Do foxes eat cherries?" No, me neither. Third time at the Black Bird cam provides a few surprises. After a few shots of what look like black birds to me, the family are still there. A couple of new fox faces on the block - probably a different clan - feasting on the cherries that have fallen. Look carefully and you will see 3 foxes in the same shot. 

Foxes are not known for being gregarious so I am assuming this lot are probably mother and 2 cubs. Dates 2nd - 4th July.

Three foxes feasting on the cherry harvest

Camera was set to capture stills along with video. Here's a montage from the 1st to 7th July.

High speed spin through 5 days at the cherry trees

Second visit to blackbird cam - 30 June. Time to look for a new position, very quiet except for 

A brief nocturnal fox visit ...

And, you'll need to watch carefully, a brief interlude with a flying insect ...

Here we are at bird cam. Geo location 51.432083, 0.338217

Our first set of bird footage sees Mr and Mrs Blackbird go about their daily business. In pt2 it looks like Mrs Blackbird is taking it easy in the sun. Recorded temperature in the reserve at that point is 30 degrees C. 

While the blackbird is a fairly common bird species in the UK you may not realise that the males are black with the distinctive orange-yellow beak. The females are less noticeable, with mottled brown feathers and a less outlandish beak. I suspect that this is to help camouflage them while brooding in the trees and hedgerows. 

No sign of the chicks but the blackbird has quite a long breeding season, typically April to July. We'll check back again to see if we have signs of fledging.