Nesting blackbirds

While clearing the garden yesterday we noticed a lot of moss on the path from the gutter. I have seen magpies pecking at the moss, presumably looking for inverts. This morning I heard a strange tapping sound coming from the conservatory. The sound appeared to be coming from the edge of the roof. I very carefully opened the door in time to see a female blackbird fly up onto the fence. She had a beakful of debris she had collected from the gutter. It appears that she is nesting in the tree that overhangs our garden

(No time to focus so this picture is cropped from a very wide angle distance shot - the female blackbird is on the fence)

The male blackbird was up on the roof pecking at the moss. When he saw me he flew up onto the chimney. The female came back to the gutter at least twice more. Later in the morning I saw her collecting the dried grass clippings from the garden.

The final pictures are a good illustration as to why you should always check the lawn for creatures before mowing - which I always do. Especially important if the edges are overgrown or the grass is very long. As I went to plug the lawn mower in, the handle fell against the path and a frog jumped out of the long grass next to the mower.

I checked the lawn as usual before mowing and did not find any other creatures to avoid or move first.