Hi, I've had 3 fieldfares in my garden for the past 3 days. I have never seen them before, so have been really excited to watch them, they are such a pretty bird. They have eaten at least 8 apples in between chasing the blackbirds away. It was so great to see a new bird in the garden. I live on the Wirral and two of my friends have had them in their gardens too. So there must be a large flock in the area.
I'm not really understanding all this. Fieldfare are winter visitors from Scandinavia, and therefore come every year in the winter. So WHY are we getting so many this year?
I don't mean why are we (I say "we" loosely) getting some in our gardens, that is obvious with the cold weather, I mean why are we getting so many huge flocks generally? Or have they always come in such huge flocks but not so far south?
Cheers, Linda.
See my photos on Flickr
Susan H said: Hello Imogen, and welcome to the forum from me. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Hello Imogen, and welcome to the forum from me. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
hello, this is my first blog! I saw the "snow watch" programme tonight, so am spurred on to bird watch. Here in surrey we too have been seeing field fares & redwings in our garden. The first time ever since the 60s, when we moved here. A wonderful treat. katie.
Hello Katie and welcome. I am sure you will really enjoy bird watching and it won't be too long before you are as addicted as the rest of us.
The necessity of bird-watching is a really good reason for avoiding all forms of housework.
The dust will still be there tomorrow - the birds may not be!
Hi Sparrow, perhaps they always did come in such numbers but no one realised just how great a number because in previous years they have dispersed more widely or gone to different roosting sites. Or it is possible that previously many people didn't know what they were looking at, in as much as, at a distance and with the naked eye they could be mistaken for other members of the thrush family. There have been a number of innovations this year which have, perhaps, raised awareness of what birds people are looking at - this forum and the longer Autumnwatch to name but two.
Susan H said: I don't mean why are we (I say "we" loosely) getting some in our gardens, that is obvious with the cold weather, I mean why are we getting so many huge flocks generally? Or have they always come in such huge flocks but not so far south?
Sparrow, it could be that this year the Scandinavian winter has been exceptionally severe and if in addition to that the berry crop there has failed they will have made a late migration in search of better pickings.
You will see from the attached link that they have now gone as far as Jersey in their thousands !!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/jersey/hi/people_and_places/nature/newsid_8457000/8457273.stm
It could also mean that they know that there is worse to come in regard to severe weather at the end of this month.
Regards to all
Thats interesting, have just re read the article from the link in my previous post and a reader of that site, in the comments at the bottom, has pointed out that the picture actually shows a Redwing and not a Fieldfare!
If that is not a library stock photo used then this begs the question as to whether we are talking flocks of Fieldfare or Redwings in Jersey??
Food for thought. Any members in Jersey able to answer this??
Hi SeymourClearly,
I am a beginner and no expert on these matters, but it does seem that Fieldfare and Redwings are flocking together, so where there is one, there is the other.
Hi Sparrow
I am pleased to note that in the article about Fieldfares in Jersey which I referred to last night (1204 AM):
the caption under the picture of the Redwing which was wrongly named as a Fieldfare last night has now been changed to # Redwings have also been sighted ..........#. Also a much betted header photograph of a Fieldfare has also been inserted.
So as you say Where there is one there is the other........
Regards
I wonder how many complaints they got!!!!