Blackbirds have always held a fascination for us in literature, fables and fairy tales. They are considered to be good and evil. Certainly in our yard they can be aggressive, greedy and raucous.

However, our large, dark birds have some wonderful attributes:

• Protection of smaller songbirds when sounding early warning alarms and then mobbing predators
• Eating the waste seeds and the less expensive corn
• Entertainment for us with their displays of intelligence when solving problems; and their ability to learn from each other strictly by observation.

The blackbirds in our backyard are a part of the natural life of feeding birds. We wouldn't have it any other way (as if we could!)