As such a ubiquitous bird getting a few snaps isn't hard, but how to take a 'pretty picture' of one, for a website say?

Fortunately, while strolling through Farr one day, in the merry merry month of May June I noticed this chap pausing for a moment in the sun, against a colourful, blue-stained shed. The bright green grass, looking like it had been given a good dose of nitrogen recently, provided a second bright colour, and my problem was solved.

I’ve been waiting to find a pretty picture of a lady blackbird since I posted the male above, no shortage of them, just they always seem too busy, or pick poor locations for ‘pretty’.

Well, isn’t it said that the best things are worth waiting for, or something like that. Well, adding a quiet stroll through the small, but incredible peaceful Chapel Yard Cemetery, on a recent jaunt through Inverness, I finally got my rewards. As I quietly and slowly made my way through the vegetation that makes this little cemetery so wonderful and quiet despite it’s location I heard the chirp of blackbirds. Oh at this point I must apologise again to the young courting couple bunking off school that I terrified as I appeared through dense bushes in front of them (you actually frightened the sh.. out of me too you know!). Anyway, despite my big pervert lens, they didn’t run off to the police. And so I was free to creep furtively onward toward my quarry. Peering around a large bush I spotted a female blackie scrabbling through leaves at the base of some graves. The colour and light where nice. But she kept her arse to me as she hopped around searching. I followed her through the camera, taking a few silent steps closer each time she hopped behind a gravestone and out of sight for a few moments. After a little while of this she hopped onto to a raised memorial plinth (sure they aint called that) covered in deep rich mosses. This was the moment and my finger knew it too, a quick burst and my wait was over. She does lovely, and the green makes it pretty enough for me. I left her to her work, and the courting couple to theirs.

Now look I'm convinced they're not called this on birds, but the colour of the 'armpit' is a good guide to thrush ID when they're flying, white is Mistle thrush or Field-fare, red is, well, a Redwing, and orange, that'll be this one. Thank you for showing us this so clearly.

Well I’m walking home in the late afternoon, nearly there, and I hear a mistle thrush, as I look about for it I spot this lovely song thrush bringing food home for some, no doubt hungry, chicks. He looks a little hassled, no doubt they’re keeping him busy. I take his picture quickly to avoid delaying him, say thanks and go looking for that mistle.

Most of the difference between Mistle and Song Thrushes is relative, the former is distinctly larger. But what if only one of them just sits in front of you? A good clue is the shape of the spots on it's breast. Described as distinctively more 'heart-shaped' than on its cousin. Actually, I think they're more spade-shaped, as in cards, not garden tools.

This was one of those moments when, after trying to find the damned thing and stealthily creep up on it in a row of bushes for 5 minutes, it just flew out and perched nicely against a field behind me. Thank you.

I’m nearly home, walking back after a(nother) fruitless trip to Ruthven. It is a warm summer’s evening as I walk under an avenue of trees. Then I hear that rasping call and I find myself amongst a pair of mistle thrushes, both busy doing the same thing, gathering food for ever voracious mouths.

I watch as one flies under a tree bordering a pond, creeping closer I can see it investigating leaves and fallen sticks. “Excuse me”, I say in a low voice, “I know you must be terribly busy, but would you mind stopping for a mo’ so I can take your picture”. “Busy! BUSY! you don’t know the bloody half of it. But yeah sure, why not, where do you want me?” she replies. “just under the tree by the pond please” I ask. A few snaps and thank her profusely.

Imagine, if you can, a thoroughly demented, talentless but totally committed dancer, a football rattle in each hand, aggressively performing the latest creation of a drug-crazed choreographer, and you've got half-way to imagining this Mistle thrush's performance......

..... I don't think I've ever seen a bird so utterly agitated and stressed-out. Sure, they are noted for being aggressively territorial at times, often physically. But this chap was going absolutely ape .... I think something may have been threatening his nest in an adjacent small tree, but I couldn't see anything around ......

... whatever it was this went on for well over 5 minutes, look at his feet, he's actually jumping up and down, arms flapping, and the noise....

... and well, yes, yes, well spotted, I should have video-recorded it, well I didn't. In fact I had to stand in the middle of the road to get these few shots free of clutter. So if you were driving on the B851 at 12.35 on the 16th of April 2024 and had to swerve to avoid some ..... in the middle of the road, that was me !