Blackbirds and Snails.

[gen2]

I have a tame blackbird in the garden that expects me to feed it every time it sees me pass a window or open a door. This afternoon, I was in the garden rearranging some planters and planting fresh plants in some of them. In the process, three snails that were on the bottom of one of the containers became crushed on the patio. The blackbird immediately grabbed one, dragged it repeatedly over the ground to dislodge the remaining shell and flew off with it.

After a repeat performance with the remaining two, it came back and chirped at me for more. I offered it a whole snail but it wasn't interested so I peeled one for it and blackie was delighted to accept the offering and took it back to its nest. I gave it one further delicacy before packing up for the day. That was 5 snails in less than an hour.

Has anyone else seen blackbirds eating snails or is my one a freak?

[gen2]

Just realised that I meant to say that this was a MALE blackbird.

[Mojo-Jo-Jo]

Well they like slugs.

[Tilly2]

We don't have many snails or slugs in our garden. I don't know why. My resident blackbirds love grapes, chopped apples, raisins and squashed potatoes.

[chi-chi66]

Is it the blackbird thats seen bashing the creature against stones to get
the morsel out?

Oooooo is that why it liked being waited on?? ;o) x

[237SJ]

It`s the thrush that whacks snails against stones. Blackbirds will eat them if they`re de-shelled. He`s probably feeding a female that`s sitting on eggs.

[seadogg]

That is remarkable gen2 and you have the touch. I leave a few broken snail shells out for them but they wait till the coast is clear, unlike the cheeky robins.

[rowanwitch]

I used to play snail tennis for my blackbirds all the snails I found I tossed in the air and batted with my trowel so they hit the fence... the male used to wait there when I was gardening What with him and the magpies waiting for me to empty the slug pubs and wasp traps and filling up 19 different feeding stations I felt I was running a restaurant... really really miss having a garden

[gen2]

Some interesting replies there.

Mojo, I couldn't decide if that blackbird was trying to skin the slug so that it could eat the insides, or if it was trying to discard the insides in order to eat the flesh. The video cut off too soon.

Rowanwitch - that sounds like a tidy way to dispose of unwanted gastropods.

As for my blakbird, it has become too tame for its own safety. Yesterday I saw it sitting on the path outside my neighbour's back door - right up against the cat flap! Talk of living dangerously. Today I was fitting a new lock on the back door and it was left ajar whilst I went upstairs for some tools. When I returned, the blackbird had come right into the house and was flapping against a closed window attempting to go out again.

It is probably just as well that I won't be able to feed it for the next few days. It will then have to re-learn how to be a wild bird and forage for itself.

[chaptazbru]

Lovely story gen2. I love blackbirds and often have one coming to my back yard and I put grapes out sometimes for a treat. I haven't seen him for a few weeks now and I miss him.