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Well the flock of fieldfares came back with a vengeance today! They meant business - they were after the apples put out for the residents, and they fought and displayed amongst themselves in the same way that blackbirds do, chasing around, or flying up at each other in a fury of feathers. One difference was that when confronting one another, they would raise their tail feathers and then spread them out in a sort of "come over here if you think you're hard enough!" way!
Hi Scrabbler - I had a Fieldfare one year that dominated an old apple tree and chased off anyone who went near it - once the apples had gone either eaten by him or fallen to the ground for others to share he left the tree fo good! (He may have been a she of course!) Fantastic to be able to watch a flock of them feeding and squabbling at close quarters.
Hello Lucybob - I must have the relatives of that fieldfare! Today there are just two, and each have staked out their territory and heaven help any bird that tries to get near! They look in wonderful condition, and their colour is really good. I need a better camera (a bad workman blames his tools!) as I just can't get a good picture through the window, and I'm too slow when trying to catch them acting like bully boys. Here are my feeble efforts, haha! In the bottom picture you can just see the second fieldfare guarding his patch under an apple tree, while the other is doing the equivalent of thumbing his nose at me!
They are very agressive aren't they! I had one turn up which didn't eat (probably full up) but guarded the food fervently! All the blacks were sitting around puffed up, waiting for a feed and as it was getting late, I tapped on the window to frighten off the fieldfare so that they could have their fill before roosting! I felt very guilty about scaring the fieldfare off, but needn't have as he was back 5 mins later!!!
"All weeds are flowers, once you get to know them" (Eeyore)
My photos on Flickr
These posts really made me laugh as i have a fieldfare which has taken possession of the bird table in my garden over the last two days and god help all my regulars. Because of the weather conditions my 11 year old son has been off school and we laughed together and watched unbelievably the fieldfare dive bomb the regulars which attempted to go near the table. He/she does not seem to mind the little birds just anything his size i.e. thrush, blackbirds he even tried to pick on the pigeon and scared off the woodpecker (which i wasnt too pleased about). The only birds that stood up to he/she was the Starlings.
My solution, as he/she was not going to let any other bird feed, was to set up another table in the garden and hopefully i have resolved the problem. I wait to see what will happen tommorow. I guess its the bird alternative to going to the pub and having a fight!
Hi. I'm new to this form of communication but had to share my fieldfare story.
3 days before xmas a pair of fieldfare visited our garden. Hubby and I got excited as it was our first sighting of these birds.
A week later the garden looked like a battle zone, with over 60 of them, fighting with about 10 blackbirds, for the same crab apples which spread out over the snow like a pool of blood. With all the posturing going on we were surprised there wasn't some blood mixed in!
Later in the week we had our first redwing group;about 8 of them.
Unfortunately, our smaller visitors took fright, with only the dunnock and robin brave enough to hang around, although a lone blue tit arrived late in the week.
Today my crab appple tree is totally bare, the last apple going this morning to a very nimble specimen! It made my snow holiday special, as I could watch the antics of all contestants all day long.
No-one seems to understand my joy. Maybe you will
Scrabbler said: Well the flock of fieldfares came back with a vengeance today! They meant business - they were after the apples put out for the residents, and they fought and displayed amongst themselves in the same way that blackbirds do, chasing around, or flying up at each other in a fury of feathers. One difference was that when confronting one another, they would raise their tail feathers and then spread them out in a sort of "come over here if you think you're hard enough!" way!
Welcome Linda! It is indeed a joy to see these birds more closely than usual! Even if our regulars get a bit of a beating in the process!
Hi Linda, Im new as well, I thought your reply was great. I share your enthusiasm! I laughed to hear your story. My kids think im nuts espaecially as i can sit with my camera for up to two hours,then get a crappy shot of half a bird- thats when my hubby draws the line, LOL. I ignore them all and get engaged in what the birds are doing. Anyway keep watching. from Birdy (Dawn)
Rockwolf said: Welcome Linda! It is indeed a joy to see these birds more closely than usual! Even if our regulars get a bit of a beating in the process!
Welcome Linda and Birdy,
I think you will find that most of us on this forum are nuts about our garden birds, and do the most ridiculous things just to watch or photograph them, let alone spend a fortune on feeding them. You are in the right place here, and I know you will enjoy participating.
Cheers, Linda.
See my photos on Flickr
I feel right at home already! Today there isn't a fieldfare in sight and my little birds have made up for lost time. The nut and seed feeders are now emptying at the normal rate.
Love all the other stories!
The fieldfares have melted away with the snow - haven't seen one today! They are obviously opportunists, well, more power to their pinions!
It's the same here Linda, the usual crew plus a couple of extra wood pigeons clearing up what is put out. The niger sunflower seeds seem to be the least popular among my lot.