Mistle Thrush

Mistle Thrush - Turdus Viscivorus

This thrush looks tiny under the huge plane tree's trunk on Newington Green. The mistle thrush is easy to confuse with the song thrush but it is a bit larger than its relative and the easiest way to tell them apart is when you hear the mistle thrush's rather harsh, rattling alarm call.

A pair of mistle thrushes have been seen regularly over the winter and spring months on Newington Green, looking for food such as earthworms in the grass. They almost certainly had a nest near to the Green but the eggs or nestlings may have been predated by magpies - the thrushes' rattling call was evident on several occasions as they tried to drive the magpies away.

Amber List

The mistle thrush is on the Amber List of conservation concern in Britain as its numbers have dropped by more than a quarter in recent years.

Mistle thrushes are so called because they love eating mistletoe. Their country name is 'storm cock' because they often sing just before rain and storms. They also eat a range of native fruits and berries, so if you would like to help them, do try adding some of these to your garden and they may come and eat some of your slugs and snails too.

You can read more about them on the BTO and RSPB Websites:

http://blx1.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob12020.htm

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/m/mistlethrush/index.aspx

10 February 2009

Photo Alex Allardyce

Update - A pair of mistle thrushes are once again feeding on the Green so, if they are local birds and not migrants, they may nest in the area in 2010.