Julian Bell
Natural Born Birder
Record numbers of Fieldfare have been recorded further north in Norway this winter. A bumper rowan berry crop kept them there in large numbers.
It seems like the berries are running out and there have been days during the last couple of weeks where I could have believed it was the height of autumn migration with best count approx 1000 birds heading south in just a couple of hours.
Had a few hundred both today and yesterday but they are starting to have a hard time of things. Today I found three dead and one almost so.
There was a good rowan berry crop where I live last autumn but as always these get completely cleaned out during the autumn migration and there is little in the way of berries for wintering birds - all that remains is some juniper and whatever people may have in their gardens. Most of the time this lack of berries is not an issue as it tends to be mild and wet so thrushes can find food on the ground. Unfortunately everything is frozen / snow covered at the moment.
On the up side a thaw seems to be starting tonight.....
It seems like the berries are running out and there have been days during the last couple of weeks where I could have believed it was the height of autumn migration with best count approx 1000 birds heading south in just a couple of hours.
Had a few hundred both today and yesterday but they are starting to have a hard time of things. Today I found three dead and one almost so.
There was a good rowan berry crop where I live last autumn but as always these get completely cleaned out during the autumn migration and there is little in the way of berries for wintering birds - all that remains is some juniper and whatever people may have in their gardens. Most of the time this lack of berries is not an issue as it tends to be mild and wet so thrushes can find food on the ground. Unfortunately everything is frozen / snow covered at the moment.
On the up side a thaw seems to be starting tonight.....