The turdidae (thrushes) family.

Part one redwings and fieldfares.

By now there should be plenty of redwings and fieldfares in the country.These magnificent thrushes have flown all the way from Scandinavia(though the last couple of weeks probably felt like home).What i want you to tell me is how many of these birds you have seen and if they have been coming into your gardens?Also has anyone seen them in a mixed species flock i.e with song thrushes and blackbirds?Listen out for the 'chack-chack-chack' of the fieldfare and the 'seeeeip' of the redwing as they fly over head.These birds will stay until April/may and then head back to their breeding grounds.Redwings will eat berries such as hawthorn,yew and mountain ash,they will also eat snails and worms.Fieldfares will also eat hawthorns and will look for seeds in pastures and will eat spiders or centipedes.Fieldfares nest in a variety of habitats in Britain including farmland,woodland edges,forestry plantation's and even sometimes in your garden.Some redwings have bred in Scotland in birch,alder and pine woodlands(The nest is usually in a tree ,against a stump or in a shrub) .Dried grass,twigs and moss are what redwings make their nest out of and fieldfares will make their nests out of dried grass,moss,rootlets and lined with mud.Between five and six eggs are laid and inccubation last for between 12 and 16 days.