I've said it before ...

... and it's worth saying again, a cool wet May does wonders for the roses.

Pandemonium on the Terrace

Two baby blackbirds, one on the ground hidden among the pot plants, the other still up on the beam above our heads. And mother, with tempting morsels in her beak, on the low wall below encouraging her offspring to come down.  The noise that can be made by two small birds and one mother is astonishing.

Earlier, one of their siblings, already saying "look I can fly" crashed into my study window. I found him/her dazed in the grass and after some frantic fluttering from the baby and raucous anxiety from the father I carried the fledgling to longer grass by the sour cherry tree (smothered in small fruit) beyond the reach of the dogs.

This is a dangerous time for the blackbirds and this year's nest is in a particularly inappropriate place - on the high beam facing the kitchen door.  Bertie has been watching and waiting all week.  The landing site is right in front of him.  Sadly one youngster has already been found and dispatched.  So we keep the dogs in as much as we can and pray that the rest of the brood wastes no time learning to fly.

Fortunately it's been cold and raining all morning and the dogs are content to be in the warm.  Another few hours in which the blackbirds have the terrace to themselves and hopefully have time to find their wings and seek sanctuary further afield.