Reading Josie George’s article discussing her resident blackbird and its song (Country diary, 29 June) made me want to write in to see if other readers hear well‑known tunes in blackbird song.

This year, our local blackbird has been singing the first few notes of Dames from the musical 42nd Street: “What do you go for / Go see a show for?” To which I have to reply: “Tell the truth / You go to see those beautiful dames”.

A few years ago it was the first few notes of the familiar Close Encounters tune. It gets repetitive, but I miss it so much when it stops, and I listen out eagerly in the new year for the first blackbird.
Jane Horne
Farnham, Surrey