BIRD NOTES

CHRIS BRADING

This winter so far has been unusually mild and perhaps heralds future trends.  Most of the usual garden birds have been coming to the feeders, but the numbers are down and there have been very few blackbirds, although some were feeding on the holly berries.  Jays too have been noticeably absent.

Redwings came last year on 5 November but this winter were not seen until 16 December when they stripped the last remaining holly berries.  The unseasonably warm weather and abundance of food has kept them in the countryside.  We have had no siskins, which we would normally have expected by now.

We also do a monthly waterfowl count at Thorpe Park and this year the numbers, so far, are well down on previous years.