Ten's of Thousands of Fieldfares

willing to learn · #1 (**permalink**) 20-12-2009, 07:19 PM

Been out for some fresh air today, I tend to move in quiet areas at the weekend. I came across fieldfare numbers,which I have never seen in my life time.The back road in which I was traveling the hedges fields and the tarmac road it self was wall to wall with fieldfares with a few redwings thrown in for good measure. They where very wary and a little jumpy, and moved well in advance or the car but soon returned it was like watching something from a film. Not sure why they sat on the road on mass, gritting maybe, might have been warmth, I don't know but something I will never forget

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Regards
Colin

JeffH · #2 (**permalink**) 20-12-2009, 07:51 PM

Yes Colin, I too have seen more Redwings and Fieldfares in this area than I've seen for many a year and they're quite a spectacle as they move along the hedgerows in such large numbers

Jeff

Meta menardi · #3 (**permalink**) 20-12-2009, 09:02 PM

I think I am right in saying that there has been a recent Easterly airstream (i.e. air coming from the continent), perhaps this has brought us these birds and they are resting after rough times. This could also apply to the Woodcock recently reported in a garden. The wild parts blown over to us.

rossy · #4 (**permalink**) 20-12-2009, 09:33 PM

must heve been an amazing sight so many together. last week i watched a constant flow of gulls pass over all in single file just gliding looked like great black backed gulls literally hundreds they seemed to go on for a good five minutes. what im wondering is seabirds coming inland in such numbers is bad weather which has arrived also like great northern divers which have been spotted up and down the country . just what are we about to get this winter ? rossy.

willing to learn · #5 (**permalink**) 20-12-2009, 09:59 PM

Just been able to make out Through some poor photos what they was doing on the road. They seem to to be drinking from the puddles. Make sense every where else is frozzen.
Regards
Colin

John · #6 (**permalink**) 21-12-2009, 06:32 AM

Hi Rossy

Both the gulls & G N Divers are usual at this time of the year. You notice the gulls more because you are possibly out when it is either getting dark or just after dawn when they are either returning or leaving their night time roosts (a local reservoir or lake would be my best bet).

These roosts will hold 10's of thousands of gulls and some of them will also play host to a few G N Divers that arrive inland at this time of the year, and there are plenty of those around the country at the moment.

John

Quote:

Originally Posted by rossy

must heve been an amazing sight so many together. last week i watched a constant flow of gulls pass over all in single file just gliding looked like great black backed gulls literally hundreds they seemed to go on for a good five minutes. what im wondering is seabirds coming inland in such numbers is bad weather which has arrived also like great northern divers which have been spotted up and down the country . just what are we about to get this winter ? rossy.

Monkey Orchid · #7 (**permalink**) 21-12-2009, 07:01 AM

Nice to hear the Fieldfares are here. I went for a walk in West Berkshire with friends this weekend and we were remarking that we hadn't seen any about yet. All the berries seem to be gone from the holly though, so maybe they are about and I just haven't been out in the countryside enough to spot them!

When I used to work on the Northumberland coast Fieldfares and Redwings used to appear in huge flocks. I remember one year they showed up on a freezing snowy day and descended on all the dog rose bushes in Druridge Bay Country Park, stripping off all the rose hips and turning the snow red with droppings.