Well, we certainly got our fair share of ice and snow this year, and I’m sure we’re all looking forward to the warm days of spring. However, the cold weather of winter also brings with it a flurry of migrants from the continent, travelling to warmer climates in search of food. Amongst these are members of the thrush family; most notably the redwing and the fieldfare. Song thrushes and mistle thrushes, though sadly declining, are resident in the UK and so can be seen all year round. They are also typical garden birds, meaning that if there is a good food source nearby then you have a good chance of seeing one in your garden.
The thrushes have a varied diet, and snack on worms, snails, insects and a wide range of berries. Unfortunately, there isn’t a huge amount of any of that around, due to the rather heavy rainfall in the summer which damaged a lot of flowers, meaning that a lot of insects went hungry, and the plants themselves weren’t able to produce very good crops of berries and fruit in the autumn. However, this shortage of food in the wild means that if you have a holly bush full of berries, or a healthy population of worms, then there’s a good chance that some of these thrushes will find their way to your garden.
But who’s who?
Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
One of our most familiar birds, and the gardener’s friend. The song thrush is probably best known for snacking on snails—just listen for the knocking of a shell being broken on the bird’s favoured anvil. Remember though, that they need a suitable hard surface nearby to do this. Pop a large stone amongst your garden snail community and see if a local song thrush is obliging! Unlike the other thrushes, they tend to feed alone, and given their furtive movement through the undergrowth, you’re less likely to see one than you are hear the repetitive, flute-like song high in a tree.
Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)
The mistle thrush is another resident of the UK, but the population has been declining since the 1970s, meaning they’re far less likely to be spotted than the song thrush. How can you tell them apart? While similar in looks, the mistle thrush is larger than the song thrush, which itself is no larger than a blackbird. They are also paler overall, and have a distinctive pale edge to the wings, which often seems patchy at a distance. They also like to be part of a flock, and have a song that is described as ‘dreamy’, rather than the clear tones of the song thrush.
Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris)
The field fare is a little smaller than the mistle thrush, and has distinctly grey head which stands out from the chestnut brown wings. In flight, the white underside of the wing and the pale grey rump are very distinctive; their ‘chack’ call as they fly overheard in flocks is unmistakeable. When feeding, they often like to accompany redwings, and can easily be told apart by their larger size and very upright posture.
Redwing (Turdus philomelos)
Smaller than the song thrush, the redwing, like the fieldfare, is a winter migrant from Scandinavia, and can often be heard on migration at night, with their distinct ‘tseep’ call piercing the air. They travel and feed in flocks, and can often be glimpsed in the branches of a berry-ladened bush; if you saw a flash of red, it was probably a redwing! As the name suggests, they have a flash of red on their flank, and a very distinctive eyestripe. They are also rather partial to apples, so if you have any to spare, it might just be worth trying to tempt these beautiful visitors into your garden.
Hopefully this year’s summer will be dry, and our birds won’t be facing another food shortage like last year’s. In the meantime, however, why not plant some more berry-bearing bushes in your garden just in case? They certainly won’t go to waste!
Photos: Song Thrush - Tony Hamblin (rspb-images.com); Mistle Thrush - Mark Hamblin (rspb-images.com); Fieldfare - Graham Eaton (rspb-images.com); Redwing - Chris Knights (rspb-images.com)