Overheating Blackbird

There's frantic nest building activity all around our back garden. So far I've found two blackbird nests, as well as nests of a robin, wren, hedge sparrow, collared dove and wood pigeon in various stages of construction. This female blackbird spent the whole morning shuttling backwards and forwards with nest material and then, at around 2pm. when the afternoon was at its hottest ....

..... give seemed to give up out of sheer exhaustion. She spent the next half hour apparently in a trance, with her feathers fluffed up, beak open and panting heavily. During that time a sparrowhawk flew low overhead without spotting her - one lucky blackbird!