A warm welcome to our winter birds

Last week, on Sunday 23rd October, I was driving up to Walls Farm from the neighbouring village of Blackford, I saw with delight of a group of Fieldfares pecking at some bright berries at the top of a roadside hedge. These were the first of the winter for me, and a bit like that nice feeling when you see your first Swallow of the summer, I always get the same feeling when I see either a Redwing or Fieldfare which will become commonplace over the winter months - it is sort of a marker that no matter what you read in the papers, the world is in fact still turning.

I was not the only local in Somerset to be pleased at these thrushes arrival, as I spotted a large female Sparrowhawk cruising below the hedge-line up the middle of the road heading straight for my car. At the very last minute up it flipped over the top of the hedge grabbing a Fieldfare in a smash and grab attack. All the other thrushes shot off in all directions, leaving one of their flock behind.

Nature can seem cruel, and I must confess I did dwell for a while on that unfortunate Fieldfare that had just arrived after flying perhaps from northern Scandinavia only to be given a warm welcome from an opportunistic Somerset Sparrowhawk.

Every day the numbers of these winter thrushes continue to build - a pal of mine said he had seen thousands stream high over Highbridge, almost like a river, so I didn’t feel too bad if the odd one helps our local raptor population.

Sparrowhawk