Fieldfare

[lavenderlux]

We have a bird table and fatball feeders near our community buildings on our allotments and regularly put out food - mealworms and sunflower hearts on the table plus there are nearby apple trees with lots of fallen fruit on the ground.  Last Saturday we were delighted to see a Fieldfare feeding at the table and then later on the fallen apples.  It is, however, rather a 'bully' as it chases away any Blackbirds which try to feed in this area, although it seems to tolerate the Robin.   It was around again this morning plus two other Fieldfares in our nearby wildlife area.   Last time I saw a Fieldfare on our allotments was in 2004. 

[lavenderlux]

[ancellsfarmer]

This cold period typically would have brought both Fieldfares and Redwings to local orchards and pastures but neither are notably visible . Perhaps there has been open country aplenty between N W Hampshire and the Russian Steppe, it is to be hoped they have not been depleted by the Avian flu that has kept our neighbours free-ranging poultry " confined to barracks"

[Paulines7]

We usually have quite a few fieldfares and redwings visiting our orchard but this year, I haven't seen any.  maybe they were blown off course and are now feeding

I don't think the Avian Flu is responsible as it is mainly found in the bigger birds such as ducks and geese.

[ancellsfarmer]

My fear is that your thoughts are precisely correct!
A dead duck , goose or a few of them would likely be found. A smaller bird may be easily overlooked and even a hundred in a square mile (640 acres) could easily just melt away.

[Digeroo]

There are places in the Cotswold particularly near Northleach where there are thousands of them.  They like the haws.

[PondDragon]

Plenty of Redwings and Fieldfares around here (rural Herefordshire), especially Redwings. I don't think bird flu affects songbirds to any significant extent - primarily water fowl, game birds (including poultry) and gulls.

[lavenderlux]

The Fieldfares are still about;  I told members of our allotment email group about the fieldfares and several have been keeping a look out for them - and one of our members is a recently retired wildlife warden, and he has now offered to make a bird hide in our community wildlife area.   Our management committee are all in agreement and we are thrilled about this.  Yesterday and today we've been clearing a suitable area, so the hide can go up before the nesting season.

The Haws on our hawthorn bushes and other berries on the trees / shrubs in our wildlife area all went fairly early in the Winter but we still have quite a lot of fallen apples about.   

[RobinOfTheHood]

I was out and about over the weekend and saw a few flocks of 15-20 birds, from past years experience they usually have a few Redwings mixed in with them. As they were flying it was difficult to tell for sure.