[Archive – 22-05-2022]
Despite a strong season for nearly all birds this year, some species drastically declined halfway through the summer of 2024, one of them being Turdus merula. The usutu virus (USUV) affects a variety of birds including but not limited to blackbirds, song thrushes, great grey owls, magpies and, to a lesser degree, kestrels, targeting the central nervous system and killing its hosts within a few days. Locally, blackbirds only rank 2nd in terms of infections/deaths throughout this observation season; the species that was hit the hardest in and around my village was the magpie, which currently has begun to recover and grow in numbers again.
This shot from 2022 was among the first from my first proper field trip that later would lead me to continuously keep track of my local environment to the best of my ability, also using this opportunity to improve my photography skills which I've been working on since 2013.
#aves #passeriformes #bird #commonblackbird #germany #canoneos700d