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Redwings arrive |
25.10.2003 |
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Michael Woods |
The first redwings have arrived. As the sun began to
set, there were six or so
feeding in a large cotoneaster bush at the bottom of the
garden. They were there again next morning and had also
discovered the nearby bird cherry. They are nice birds to
have in the garden, smaller than a song thrush and
strikingly marked with the bold creamy stripe over the eye.
I find the dark red under the wing hard to see, except in
very bright light.
I was rather surprised to see redwings
in the garden so soon after their arrival from Scandinavia
or further east. According to the books, the flocks are
supposed to spend the early part of their stay on farmland
where they feed on worms and insects. Only when the supplies
of animal food have been depleted or locked up by snow or
hard frost are redwings supposed to come into gardens for
berries and windfalls. However, animals do not read the
books and sometimes break the rules. This adds to their
interest but makes them difficult to write about! I can only
speculate that these redwings were very hungry and the red
cotoneaster berries were a welcome sight after their long
journey.
Redwings and song thrushes are the
least hardy of the thrush family and both are vulnerable in
winter, especially if there are periods of harsh weather
towards the end of the season. Redwings make things more
difficult for themselves because they will not accept the
bird foods that other thrushes accept. Apples and dried
fruit seem to be the only items that they are willing to
try.
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