I had a fieldfare in my garden in Shropshire yesterday, it's the first time i have ever seen 1, is it unusual to get them in gardens in the midlands? The RSPB website says there are only 1-4 breeding pairs in the UK, do I need to tell someone it was here?
Hello James, Fieldfare are a regular winter visitor in the winter. It is because of the extreme weather at the moment that so many people are seeing them in their gardens this winter. Breeding pairs in this country would be rare.
Hi James,
Welcome to the forum. Have just been watching a Redwing feeding in the garden this morning and my neighbour regularly has a Fieldfare feeding in her garden (Shrewsbury area) - the fields nearby have been covered in mixed flocks of them since the severe weather started and they are now slowly creeping into the gardens to finds some easy pickings. I feed raisins on the ground to the Blackbirds and Song Thrushes and the Redwing has joined in today.
I think Fieldfares are turning up almost everywhere at the moment, same as Redwings,infact I nearly stood on one going out the back door before,dont know who jumped higher.
john.
Both Redwing and Fieldfare have a breeding range which is further north north-east around the Baltic countries and Siberia. The southern end of this range literally just clips the northern tip of Scotland with only a handful of breeding pairs occuring there.
As the winter kicks in this essentially forces a movement South and South-west around October time. Both species will move as far south as the Portugese interior, southern Spain and much further east along the coast of the Black Sea. Some ringing records have even been recovered from Algeria! - Perfectly normal to sight them in the UK during winter time but the recent cold spell will of been the driver bringing them into gardens in search of an easy meal. Also the temperature in our towns and cities will be a degree or two warmer!
The breeding range of many species is shifting northerwards - perhaps in response to climate change? so there are concerns the UK breeding population of redwing and fieldfare will soon be lost altogether in the UK hence there red listed status (the breeding pop has declined by more than -50% in the past 25years (which is an easy occurence when you only have 4-5 breeding pairs!) This pattern of rnage shift ties in with species such as little egret moving into the country from the south..
Thank you all for your answers, although I have to admit I'm a little disappointed!
It's the first Fieldfare I have ever seen and it took me an age to figure out what it was, well to be honest it took my wife an age using the RSPB bird identifier!!
I thought we had something rare and newsworthy in the garden, oh well I'll keep looking for the Dodo popping in!
James
James G said: I thought we had something rare and newsworthy in the garden, oh well I'll keep looking for the Dodo popping in! James
LOL - I know just how you feel. Welcome to the forum, by the way.
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!