We had a bumper crop of apples last autumn and, even after we had juiced and bottled a lot of the fruit, there were still hundreds of windfalls on the ground. The sheep enjoy a bucketful each day, but they can only manage rotting ones, or even completely black ones, as their teeth are designed for grass, not hard fruits. It did not take long for a large flock of thrushes to find the remainder. A cold snap in Scandinavia drove a lot of birds across the North Sea quite early on and by early December the garden was full of Fieldfares and Redwings, plus our resident Mistle Thrushes.
The Fieldfares are winter visitors, we saw very few last year, so it was good to see flocks of 50 or 60 birds fly up, almost vertically, when I went to feed the sheep.They are the most distinctive of the family, not quite as big as a Mistle Thrush, with grey heads and rumps and contrasting black tails. They adore the Bramleys, hollowing out the flesh and just leaving some of the skin.
There were fewer Redwings, which are slightly smaller, with distinctive red patches under their wings which are easily visible as they fly away. At least one pair of Mistle Thrushes are permanent residents in the garden. They are often known as storm cocks because they sing all winter, even on the stormiest days. They chose the top-most branches of the tallest trees and their powerful songs ring out all over the garden. Only the Mistle Thrushes will nest here, but it is nice to see the others and know that the apples are not going to waste.
The Robins have paired up and are singing too. Spring is just around the corner! How I love the changing seasons, the different birds, and hopefully some snow. Year round sun would be so boring!
Wendy Bathurst