As many of you in here will know, we successfully assisted two blackbirds raising three broods this year. After their last fledgling left, they disappeared, but from time to time one of them would visit.
Well now they are both back. They've been in the garden for about a week now and this morning there has been a lot of activity in the nest site (ie both flying in and out of the nest).
What on earth are they doing? Clearly they wont be nesting, and we normally dont see a lot of them over the winter until they turn up here again in April time.
I've noticed blackbirds seem to adopt a favourite place in the garden and keep returning to it, sometimes for years. I had a blackbird who lived in and around the winter honeysuckle for about 3 years, he was always shuffling about in the leaves when I walked by and he'd pop out to see if I had any raisins.
Good luck, you'll probably be overrrun with them in a few years! I had four pairs and their families at least this spring, all queueing up for food. :)
I'm so jealous, 'my' blackbirds definitely won't be back till spring even in the coldest winter weather they don't come back looking for food. I really miss them and am on tenterhooks waiting for their return in the spring !