Another garden bird, the mistle thrush, is known as the stormcock because it keeps on singing not just when rain is expected, but during the storm itself.
The common chaffinch often nests close to a mistle thrush, the vigilance of the finch and the aggressive behaviour of the thrush benefiting both species.
But hopefully by then generations of blackcaps and mistle thrushes will have spread it successfully to a mass of other trees for their progeny -- and us -- to enjoy.
As its name implies, the mistle thrush is important in propagating the mistletoe, an aerial parasite, which needs its seeds to be deposited on the branches of suitable trees.
