Kitchen Garden Forum

Some of you down South must be getting a lot of Fieldfares judging by the hundreds that have being passing over us going North-South this weekend. They have had the odd noisy rest on some of what was a wonderful show of Rowan berries!

Hi Geoff,
No Fieldfares to date but masses of Mistle Thrushes (well about 40) hanging about and feeding on the Yew Berries and the Redwing have begun to take the Hawthorn Berries. All the berries will disappear almost overnight when the main stream migration appear which is any time now.
Super Autumnal colours this year as opposed to last year which here was a quite dismal affair. I suppose we didn't get the sunshine needed last year.
One lone Swallow during the week, stayed the night but was gone before dawn the following morning.
Bird wise this is a very interesting period with some just coming in and the tailenders of those leaving us still hanging on.
JB.

I haven't seen or heard any Fieldfares or Redwing yet around here. I must try and make time to go to Spurn this year as it is just wonderful when we get the influx of migrants.
A few years ago, when I was a much more active birdwatcher, I was lucky enough to be there just when there was a fall of Firecrests....scores of them! Pure magic!
Cheers.

Elaine, we had a similar magic experience at Spurn Point once: there had been a heavy sea fret with a light north-easterly wind all night (in mid-October) and when we arrived there in mid-morning, all the bushes, particularly the sea buckthorn, were alive with birds, including hundreds of fieldfares, redwings, goldcrests, robins (!) and a beautifully marked great grey shrike. Even the fishermen who visit there regularly were amazed at the sheer numbers of migrating birds.

Speaking of now: we have not seen any fieldfares or redwings yet, but large flocks have been reported just west of us (not far from you, Geoff!).

Monika. That really rings a bell! I vividly remember the shrubs around the Crown pub being alive with Robins and on Spurn Road, leading down to the Point, the bushes were almost bending under the weight of all the Redwings and Fieldfares, eagerly scoffing the berries. It was your mention of the Shrike that jogged my memory....if I trawled through my books of bird notes, I reckon I would be able to tell you the date!

I might do that at some point..my friend and I had so many magical birding moments at Spurn and the Kilnsea area, it would be lovely to read about them again.
Cheers.