I wrapped up warm and wandered onto the meadow. I took a path less walked along a hedgerow and was surprised by the birds which were feeding on the hips, haws and sloes.
Haws – still plentiful on the hedges.
I saw an array of thrushes. Firstly our native blackbird both male (black) and female (brown) were flitting along the hedge and seemed most interested in the red haws on the hawthorn.
Female Blackbird (Turdus merula), feeding on the ground.
A little further was a more secretive song thrush nestled in a blackthorn sampling the last few sloes. What a beautiful speckled plumage and so well camouflaged.
Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
Finally a visiting thrush, the redwing, which is a winter visitor from the continent. Smaller than our native thrush and always in a chattering flock. It has a distinctive red wing and pale flash over the eye.
Redwings (Turdus iliacus), at the top of a hedge.
All this on our doorstep, aren’t we lucky. Happy birding.
-Helen
