One Sunday afternoon this winter when the rain stopped, I headed for Claremont Gardens in Esher for a breath of fresh air. Heading up the path above the amphitheatre, raucous chattering high in the trees caught my attention. With careful study, I identified the cause of the disturbance. It came from a group of trees bare of leaves but copiously provided with swags of mistletoe laden with berries. The noise came from a Mistle Thrush who clearly considered those berries its personal larder for the winter and from a raiding party of Fieldfares who had spotted the bounty. The Mistle Thrush moved vigorously about the trees, chattering angrily and making much aggressive display of its white underwings. After more than ten minutes, the Fieldfares reluctantly flew off. The Mistle Thrush then perched on the topmost spot and carolled its victory.
The Mistle Thrush is resident, breeding and raising its young here. It was named for its fondness for the berries of the mistletoe, the hemiparasitic plant that attaches to its host tree from which to extract water and nutrients. Mistle Thrushes nevertheless enjoy a wide range of berries in autumn and winter; those in my garden defend the female holly bushes from other berry lovers.
Fieldfares breed mainly in Scandinavia, migrating south and west to find food and less cold winters. The party at Claremont were indeed foreign invaders seeking food growing here. They usually switch back to feeding on invertebrates earlier than our native thrushes, perhaps because the berry stocks are well defended by the locals?
Jonathan Groves
Dorking and District RSPB Local Group
Images: Mistle Thrush (left) and Redwings (top and right) – RSPB.
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