Kitchen Garden Forum

Delighted this morning to see what at first I thought were four thrushes decending onto our holly bush to eat the berries. They had beige speckled breasts like a thrust but had a brown horizontal bar over their eyes. My small bird book doesn't identify them. Suspect they are migratory birds of some kind. Any suggestions?

Hi Primrose

Redwings?

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdgui ... index.aspx

Or if not maybe fieldfare

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/f/fieldfare/index.aspx

Lots of blackbirds in our garden today each laying claim to different feeding areas and fighting off any intruders. There's plenty for everyone if they just got on with it and tucked in!

Yes, definitely Redwings. Thanks very much. They've just returned to start stripping off the red berries on my next door neighbour's Pyracantha bush, so guess they'll be off as soon as they've eaten them all.

Hi Primrose,
I am glad that you have identified the Redwings as I think they are a very handsome bird. Although the Fieldfare also have an eye stripe the most noticeable point would be the grey head and the eye stripe is not so noticeable and much larger.
Here we get them twice a year as they migrate in and totally ravage all the Hawthorn berries and again when they are going back to Scandinavia where they spend the nesting and summers periods.
The red wing is more noticeable just as they take off with the initial wing spread. I suppose it should be called The Red Armpit to be more accurate.
Hope that you have have a most pleasant Christmas Day.
Sincerely,
JB.

Thanks for posting both of those links.

We've started seeing what I thought were Jays eating berries from the bushes at the end of our garden. After a few more visits I could see they didn't have the bright blue patch of a Jay and now realise they were Fieldfares.

Walking round the garden this morning found a Redwing looking rather distressed. I've cut an apple up for it and I'll go and check on it in a while and try with some water if it is still there.

Geoff, was the Redwing okay?
Cheers.

Had visitors so not been on - yes it had disappeared when I checked back so I think it was OK.

Oh that's good. Thanks Geoff.