fieldfare and rewing

crates · #1 (**permalink**) 13-02-2012, 11:36 AM

Last three days visited regularly by a mixed flock of fieldfare and redwing (first sighting of either in 10 years here - presumably due to bad weather).
They arrive together (fieldfare to apples on ground and redwing to holly berries) then leave together - presume this is common. Blackbirds who regularly see off the song thrushes are now receiving some of their own medicine from the fiedlfares!

nikolai_avenger · #2 (**permalink**) 13-02-2012, 11:58 AM

Hi crates.

Whereabouts are you in the country? Yes, the bad weather brings a lot of birds into gardens. Redwings and fieldfares can often be seen flocking together and, indeed, over the weekend we had a flock of about 120 fieldfares (but no redwings!) in/around our neighbourhood. This is the first time I have actually seen them in my garden and it was quite an impressive sight as the gardens surrounding are not exactly massive, mine included!

Enjoy them while you can. They'll be off all too soon.

Cheers. Nik.

crates · #3 (**permalink**) 13-02-2012, 01:11 PM

Hi Nik.

Largish garden on the Outer London/Essex border. Will enjoy them while I can.
Some arrived back while typing this (12 FF 5RW). Previous hard winter Jan/Feb 2008 had 5 lesser redpolls visiting daily on nyger for 6 weeks. Then they left and never seen again!

Nick

IanS · #4 (**permalink**) 14-02-2012, 08:30 PM

I've had a small flock of redwings in our garden over the last few weeks. Never seen them here before so was wondering if the UK has had a large influx of them this year, especially with the terribly cold continental weather for the last few weeks. They have munched through all the holly berries on our large tree now. Took them about 3 weeks!

Also saw a very large flock of them in an Oxford park last week. Must have been 100+, quite a sight and noise!

Ian

Tringa · #5 (**permalink**) 15-02-2012, 08:43 AM

Something similar here in east London.

We are close to a cemetery and a few large trees are nearby.

The last week or two we have seen, almost everyday, a flock of about 15 redwings in the top branches of a poplar tree. They stay for only a few minutes before flying off.

Dave

Dogghound · #6 (**permalink**) 15-02-2012, 09:14 AM

On the coast last week we had a quite substantial influx of fieldfare and song thrush with a few few mistle thrush and redwing. This was during a period of easterlies which coincided with the cold weather in Europe. It also brought over a lot of snipe and woodcock. It could either be these birds moving down, wintering birds moving around more due to less food or groups starting to flock up ready to go back. Although if these are just casual observations without regularly watching a patch they may have just gone un-noticed and been present all winter. Certainly if I just watched my garden I would be unaware of the large numbers which have wintered here in the wider area and presumed it a quiet year.

monkeyrepublic · #7 (**permalink**) 15-02-2012, 02:38 PM

So, Crates, your blackbirds are getting it from the fieldfares? My (one remaining) resident blackbird is seeing off the fieldfares. Confronting one after another!

I'm sure in previous years the bullying has gone the other way.

It's been interesting watching the flocks of fieldfares circle the area. At least, I presume that's what's happening - I had a vast flock a few weeks ago and the size of the flock has fluctuated since. Now I seem to have just a few who have hung around, leaving the rest to move on to suburbs that haven't been denuded of haws.