When we first moved into the Old Barn at the end of October, this solitary fieldfare would spend much of each day in one of the apple trees, pecking away at the fruits that still clung to its branches. As the first snows of winter came before Christmas the fieldfare numbers increased daily, until there were well over a hundred, accompanied by their smaller cousins, the redwings.
Fieldfares always seem such bad-tempered birds, bickering and squabbling amongst themselves and chasing off any other bird that comes too close. I'm sure if they spent less time arguing and more time eating they'd be happier! Even so, they still pretty much managed to clear the garden of windfalls by the new year!
