Blackbird Disease

It poured with rain here this morning but that wasn't a good reason for one of the local blackbirds not to take his bath. Nor did he seem to mind being watched by siskins, goldfinches and chaffinches.

His enjoyment contracted starkly with a blackbird we saw later in the day which....

....appeared to be dragging its wing, but a closer look revealed....

....what might be some sort of skin infection. It was obviously bothering him as he kept flicking his feathers and seemed loath to fly away when two jackdaws approached.

Blackbirds are a source of concern at the moment because of a disease which comes from South Africa and has been working its way northwards to appear, now, in southeast England. It seems to particularly affect blackbirds so the British Trust for Ornithology is asking people to assist in monitoring usutu's spread - more about this here.