Collingwood’s earliest surviving sketch, nest and nestlings in a blossoming tree.

 A home full of birds

Collingwood was born in London in 1880 but spent much of his boyhood at the family’s seaside home at Westgate-on-Sea.  The naturalist Jenner Weir visited the family there in 1891, when Collingwood was ten.[1] Writing of the difficulty in keeping normally free-flying birds in captivity, Jenner Weir wrote that William Ingram had successfully solved this difficulty by keeping his birds in very large cages, in aviaries, in the walled garden and in the house, all with unclipped wings.

          Jenner Weir was particularly taken with Darling (sometimes Darley), tamest of three albino Jackdaws, who on his first visit followed him into the drawing room, sat on the pole of a curtain, eyed him in a “knowing manner”, flew on to the table, picked up a letter, examined it and finding it of little interest flew out of the room. On their going into the garden, Darling followed them and when they sat down occupied the arm of the seat. When they went up the tower Darling appeared when they reached the top. She went with the family along the sea-shore and on holiday to Over Silton, where she went on long walks with Minima, flying from tree to tree.

          Collingwood took Jenner Weir into a room where he kept some Blue Tits which flew on to Weir’s hand, then returned to Collingwood where they were fed with a cherry. Weir wrote that Collingwood had a “subtle power over birds”.