A Blackbird Sang

BBC

I'm sitting here on my bed, the light is better here at this time of night, and I was listening to the 'Mark Steel's in Town' programme on the BBC iPlayer when I switched it off to listen to the Blackbird outside.  As part of the Thrush family Blackbirds, Robins and Thrush's all have wonderful songs, I don't know why, but there it is.  This guy was sitting somewhere in the tree opposite, hidden from view, loudly proclaiming his territory.  There are a few of them around here, most early mornings I notice two of them attempting to eat the same worm, and while chasing one another away the worm hops it and lives on.  Possibly they are brothers as there appears to be no love lost between them. When I left early in the mornings for work, at 4:30 a.m to be precise, I would turn the corner with not a sound in the air yet a Blackbird, always the first to waken, would let the world know I was about.   A second would respond from the far end of the street and as I reached the turning place the world was filled with Blackbirds, Finches and Blue Tits singing their hearts out claiming their place in the world.  They say birds elsewhere are more colourful than those in the UK yet ours have better songs.  I know not if this is true but I do know that all birds have accents!  Different members of the same species have regional accents to their song.  'Cor blimey guv.'  No wonder we canny understand them.

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