My garden has, I think, the perfect apple tree for blackbirds. There are no squirrels around, and (I hope!) no rats. There is no easy approach for cats, and I'm far enough away not to startle the birds. I just leave the apples to fall from the tree, and blackbirds enjoy the feast for months.

I read somewhere that you may think you are just getting one or two blackbirds in your garden, but it's usually several different birds. They tend to look alike

Also, the males enjoy the apples just as much as the females. Indeed, the tough guys chase other blackbirds away from "their" apples. They do eat them on the tree, now and again, but seem to prefer the ground. But most of the apples seem to get pecked before I think about picking them. I wonder if this is evolution at work? I imagine the blackbirds thinking, "I'll peck this and then that fussy, pesky human won't steal it."