The Daddy

This is the dominant male blackbird living in my garden. He and his wife have two very noisy and demanding fledglings. Feeding them, and teaching them how to be blackbirds takes a lot of his time. He also has to be constantly reminding the other male where his territory begins, in skirmishes that get quite violent at times. In addition, at dawn and dusk, he fills the garden with beautiful song. Unfortunately, he is also greedy and destructive, ripping fruit from the trees and bushes long before it is ripe, and digging up plants. I have a love-hate relationship with him.

One of his chicks is the extra shot.