Is This A Song Thrush?
Is This A Song Thrush?
Turdus philomelos?
Cutting back the wisteria by my back door, I discovered a perfectly formed nest cocooning four exquisite blue coloured eggs with black speckles. Straight to my bird book and rightly or wrongly, I identified this clutch as belonging to a Song Thrush. At first I wasn’t sure if this was the nest of a Song or Mistle Thrush but the eggs were such a vivid blue without any brown or damson speckles and the nest so immaculately formed. My bird is smaller than a Blackbird and has been sitting and feeding her brood for the last few weeks. In the mornings I sit below her on my bench with my first cup of coffee and she is completely unfazed by my presence. Searching in the dessicated flower beds of my garden, I leave a selection of snails for her delectation and we co-exist in a quiet harmony. The snail shells are then all smashed up on the stone step to the side of my bench, the tell tale signs of a Thrush in residence. Leaving her brood for short periods, she sits on the fence of the meadow looking for worms. With her warm chocolate brown plumage she is very beautiful and has a creamy white speckled chest with spots, like inverted hearts on the upper breast.
Our resident Song Thrush population is increasing perhaps due to the woodland and meadow areas surrounding the house. Officially their numbers are in decline and they are now included on the Amber List of Birds of Conservation Concern. Using my Merlin App I have learnt to identify the melodious call of the Song Thrush, it is made up of a simple ‘tsit’ which is then repeated several times, which is why this bird was once known as the ‘Thrice Cock’.
Candida Hopkinson