Fieldfare
By Charlie • December 24, 2009 • 13 commentsA couple of days ago I posted a gallery of images of the UK’s largest resident thrush - the MIstle Thrush. Here by way of comparison (and because it’s such a beautiful bird anyway) is another thrush, the Fieldfare Turdus pilaris. Unlike the Mistle Thrush, which it resembles in size and shape (distant flying birds can be a little difficult to separate unless they’re seen well or they’re calling - the loud ’shook, shook’ calls of Fieldfares are very distinctive), the Fieldfare is almost entirely a winter visitor here with just a few pairs breeding in the UK (the first breeding in Britain was in 1967 when a pair nested in Orkney; very small numbers have continued nesting fairly regularly in Scotland and central England’s Peak District).
The majority of ‘our’ Fieldfares originate in Scandinavia, where they are abundant breeders. They usually start arriving in October, and depending on the availability of food and weather conditions will have spilled across the entire UK by the end of the month/mid November. Almost always found with Redwings Turdus iliacus, another very common winter visitor, Fieldfares will take a wide variety of food, though don’t often come into gardens in any numbers - unless the garden has a substantial crop of fallen apples which these lovely birds seem to relish (in fact, its almost worth planting an orchard just to get close views of this beautifully-marked migrant thrush!).
All photographs copyright Charlie Moores 2009
What a lively, delightful bird! These are great shots. I especially love the second one which has that air of pomp and pretension, nose up and look askance and wonder if that chap with the camera is really staring at me…
For the first time we have two fieldfares in the garden in this cold snow-bound week. Fortunately we have kept a lot of windfall apples and pears so thay are well provided for. But they are really aggressive - they are forever chasing off our six or eight resident blackbirds, who normally chase off the starlings. I have lots of photographs, but not nearly as good as yours!
Hi Bill. Thanks for the comments (and the kind words about my photos - I’m sure your’s will be just as good). Fieldfares are really tenacious aren’t they. Just down the road from where I live is a grass verge next to a small industrial estate where there are five apple trees: every time I’ve gone past three fluffed-up, grumpy-looking Fieldfares are crouched over the fallen apples like lions guarding their prey! Quite fearsome for a bundle of feathers weighing in at 120g at most…
Hello i love the photos of the fieldfare I live in derbyshire uk and the day before yesterday a fieldfare arrived in the garden. He seems very protective of the food and chases off all the other birds. is this normal behaviour. I would really like your feed back. Many thanks Ruth
Hi Ruth - Yes, it’s normal behaviour, especially when it’s very cold and food is scarce. Thrushes like Fieldfares are relatively large for a ‘garden bird’ particularly when compared with Robins and Tits, and larger birds will always try to keep as much food as possible from smaller birds. I have a Mistle Thrush in my own garden doing exactly the same as your Fieldfare, driving off the smaller birds - but it can’t be everywhere at once so the smaller ones are getting their fair share it seems to me.
Charlie
Ruth, you may see more. Our two (in Scotland) have increased to about eight. They not only chase the smaller birds but now chase each other. The garden is in perpetual motion. We saw a really big flock in a field about a mile away - we hope they don’t all come!
I am so pleased I found your site thank you for your beautiful pictures. Mum and I spent hours earlier today trying to identify this beautiful bird. We kept thinking of a redwing but it’s back feathers were too dark and he shared all the characteristics other people have mentioned - eating apples and chasing off the other birds even the mistle thrushes (this was in a back garden in Birmingham)
Lisa: Thanks so much for the kind comments - it’s great to know that our site is helping like this. Fieldfares are beautiful birds aren’t they - and this very cold weather certainly seems to have brought more of them into back gardens than most years.
I too am very pleased to have found this site! We were very confused as to what they were as we have two in the garden chasing off all the other birds! We do not however have any fruit trees in the garden and we are only putting out fat balls/seeds/cereal etc, will this be adequate for them? Would be grateful for any feedback!
For about a week we have had three fieldfares visiting our garden their antics are hilarious. The blackbirds don’t get a lookin when I put apples on the lawn. The leader of the gang has now discovered a tray of titbits that I put out & guards it jealously & wont let any of the other birds near it, just when the other birds think the coast is clear he appears out of nowhere & chases them off.
Wonderful to see these lovely photos, I to wondered whether this was a mistle thrush, now I know. I have an individual Fieldfare who is very cocky and chases all the other birds away. It was so busy that it did not see the Sparrow Hawk come down and grab hold. I was straight out there with my broom and fortunately it managed to fly away! It has not been put off and still comes for the soft sultanas and seed I put out, brave heart!
I believe I have had a fieldfare in the cotoneaste shrub at the front of my house in Kendal. At first I assumed it was a thrush but was confused by the yellow beak. One day it was seeing off a blackbird. It had its wings extended and its tail up like a fan as it ran towards the blackbird that promptly left. Incidentally it has almost stripped the cotoneaster of berries. It is abeautiful bird and your photos of it are superb. I hope mine comes back.
Sarah: I’ve been buying loose apples in the local Sainsbury’s. They have a ‘basics’ range of mis-shapen, ugly, unwanted apples that don’t fit the nice shiny image of apples that most people seem to prefer. They’ve very cheap: perhaps you could get some similarly knobbly apples and put those out?
Sue and Leslie: There seems to be many more people seeing Fieldfares doing this lately. Undoubtedly the cold weather and people being more aware of birds has caused all the sightings. I’m really excited folks are taking such an interest…
Ann: The Fieldfare is a thrush - and a little more aggressive than most! The display you saw is typical, and Fieldfares (and Redwings) do strip berry bushes at an amazing rate. If you’d like to ensure he/she comes back then try throwing a few apples into the garden!