By Della Lewandowski
As the warm breeze of summer changes into the chilling winds of autumn, the landscape around us begins to transform. Lush green foliage becomes crunchy leaf litter, hedgerows are packed with berries, and nuts and seeds ripen. As the weeks pass, the wildlife takes full advantage of these seasonal treats.
This time of year welcomes the arrival of fieldfares and redwings. These thrushes gather along the coasts of Scandinavia and northern Europe in autumn to begin their long and risky flight to the UK, ready to feast on delicious berries!
Identification
People often mistake these birds for one another, as they can be found in flocks together foraging for food. To avoid this, there are a few major distinctions between the two; redwings have beautiful red flank patches (hence the name) and a creamy-white strip above the eye, whereas fieldfares are larger and have a yellow breast with black streaks.
Left: The Redwing (Turdus iliacus) is easily recognised by its red underwing patches and cream strip above the eye. Right: The Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris), larger than Redwings and have brown backs, yellow breast and black streaks. Source: rspb.org.uk
Threats
With the onset of winter, berries become limited. This is when they begin to move out to more open areas in search of other food sources. Sightings during this time sharply increase, as they like to visit fields, orchards and even gardens in harsher winters to hunt for earthworms.
Currently in the UK both redwings and fieldfares are classed as Red List species, protected by The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Some of the threats include habitat fragmentation, a lack of food in winter and climate change.
Do your bit!
The Woodland Trust collects records each year from the public about their first sightings of a range of species, in a campaign called Nature’s Calendar. This is a brilliant and simple way that everyone can help preserve the UK’s precious wildlife! Being able to track changes that are occurring can lead to informed decisions being made on what the biggest threats are and what to do next.
From what has already been collected, scientists have concluded warmer temperatures and a later onset of winter is causing redwings and fieldfares to come to the UK later.
If you would like to get involved, visit naturescalendar.woodlandtrust.org.uk
Have you seen redwings or fieldfares in your garden yet? We’d love to know and find out exactly where in the country they are gathering.
Help Us Raise Funds for the BTO
We donate 10% of the sale price of all our puffin and lesser spotted woodpecker ranges to the BTO. Here are some of the products in our bird range:
