The Common or Eurasian Blackbird, Turdus merula. Unlike our New world blackbirds, this is a thrush, and rather similar to the American Robin (Turdus migratorius) in habit. Our blackbirds are Icteridae; the thrushes are Turdidae. Our Robin, meanwhile, isn’t related to their Robin (Erithacus rubecula).
This is the bird that bursts out of the pie, alive and grumpy, no doubt, from being covered in pastry shell and crowded together in there with three and twenty others. This is also the one that sings in the dead of night, which I can attest to from some short spring nights in the Scottish highlands.
For a common bird, they proved elusive on our Sweden trip. They were molting out of breeding plumage and therefore keeping low and deep.
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Speaking of music: friend of blog Jose Conde has organized a concert for November 2 at Littlefield here in Brooklyn to celebrate his 50th birthday and raise funds for tree-planting in Costa Rica. Tickets are only $5; should they be more for this line-up?
Backyard and Beyond 
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