Thrushes

[jamess]

The big question.. how do I get more of these in the garden? They are absolutely beautiful but I hardly ever see them!

I live in Kent and when we got a good bit of snow in late January/early Feburary this year, I had 2 different thrushes come to the garden. But after the snow went, they went too. And funnily enough with the recent snow in the last week, a thrush has appeared again in the garden. But since the snow melted a few days ago, I'm not sure if the thrush has come back. Has anyone else had this?

[Ukwildlifeo]

I've heard putting bits of apple etc skewered on to branches and on the ground can attract fieldfares and blackbirds so perhaps mistle and song thrushes too.

[ChrisR]

I've always thought that one of the main reasons Song Thrushes don't come to gardens is that they tend to get bullied by Blackbirds. Also the Blackbirds are more adaptable and tend to be looking for food that occurs in gardens, while the Song Thrushes tend to be after stuff that is better found in the countryside.

[Jason Claxton]

If you do not have any shrubs/trees with berries, James,for the future you can increase your chances of getting thrushes by planting Cotoneaster,Pyracantha,Holly(slow growing and Woodpigeons nab its berries early in my garden before the thrushes get to them!) and Rowan for example.Cheers Jason.

[Cheryl]

We have a thrush living in our hedgerow and it has been very active over the last couple of days. I put out insect suet pellets, raisins and chopped up apples which it seems to enjoy.

I'm also not over tidy when it comes to clearing away flowerpots etc, I leave a few around as it gives somewhere for the slugs and snails another place to hide - I'm hoping the thrush and other birds will find them and dispose of them for me

[LRM]

I live at the edge of a town, used to be in the countryside before they built more houses. Like you the thrush only comes when it is very cold or snowy. In February's snow one came up close to the house and I got a couple of nice photos, then it vanished when the snow went. This past week with the snow and ice just one has been back again. It does seem to keep clear of the blackbirds but I haven't seen them bullying it. Though they do bicker among themselves. There are at least 8 blackbirds in the garden. The blackbirds nest in the garden, but I presume the thrush goes back to the fields. Id don't see them in the summer. Amongst other food I put out apples and also sultanas and raisins which they love.

Also, although I know there are wrens in the garden, one only came close to the house when it snowed. It doesn't go to the bird table though. They are supposed to like cheese and I sprinkled crumbs of cheese around the ground but the blackbird found it first and didn't stop until he had eaten it all.

Starlings also only come when it snows. So snowy weather is a good opportunity for photos of species which otherwise wouldn't come close enough.

[k4t3]

I have both Song Thrushes and Mistle Thrushes visiting my garden. Tend to see the song thrushes only around fledging time of the young in late spring/early summer. The mistle thrushes are seen in early spring and are more often than not on a high point in the garden and have a very distinctive alarm call. Also see them in winter, especially when the holly berries abundant on my tree- they are very effective berry strippers!
Maybe I have these lovely birds in my garden as previously suggested because I have both holly and rowan trees?
Also the mistle thrush, when bringing fledglings down to the garden, rather enjoys unsalted cottage cheese curds to feed to the babies (found this out when trying to stop her feeding dry bread put out by a neighbour to the fledgling)- hope this causes no harm? She raised 2 stonking babes to adulthood this spring on this diet!

[Susie]

I put soaked sultanas, any old apples, suet and sunflower hearts on the ground for the thrushes. It seems to do the trick.

[Fourwings]

The number one bit of advice I can offer is to feed apples and lots of them.
Once the thrushes find them they will be constant vistors to your garden.

[rossy]

hello jamess and welcome. one of the reasons you will see the thrushes in winter is apart from being obvious searching for food. is song thrushes are mainly found in wooded areas and parks or very large gardens during breeding season. mistle thrushes though can be found on commons parks and they will nest in unusual places. a pair took up residence above a front door and bombed the people who went in and out up our end the other year. song thrushes are a bit more timid than the mistle thrushes but a lovely bird to listen to in spring. as for feeding them most people have put up and one keeps coming in my garden but the blackbird chases it out everytime. rossy.