Little Redwings
One of my neighbours whiles away the winter days by carving shapes out of old bits of wood. At a pinch any discarded piece of timber will do. But what Bert really likes is some of the gnarled sticks that can be picked up along the tideline. Driftwood which has weathered to an almost pure white colour is best of all, especially if it has become twisted and warped.
A couple of weeks ago I was searching for some suitable bits amongst the flotsam which litters the high tide mark in the big bay. Feeling a need to pour a wee cup of coffee from the thermos in my haversack, I sat down on the banking and spent a few minutes listening to the birds of the shore.
Although the bay is only a short distance from the town, its easy to imagine that
you're miles away from the city. There really is a wealth of wildlife to be seen here.
Especially in winter. As I sat drinking my cuppa, it was like an orchestra tuning up.
Oystercatchers piped plaintively as they flitted over the mud. A mass of little waders
"pripped" as they were moved forward by the incoming tide. A mallard duck
quacked as she led her mate back over the saltings after feeding on some waste potatoes in
the field across the railway.
Then the percussion section came to life. There was a snare drum rattle as a flock of
little thrush-like birds swooped low over the reed beds.
First came several hundred fieldfares - well known winter visitors to the land around the estuary. But then, in a smaller group, they were followed by a couple of dozen redwings.
The banks of tall reeds along the shore provide shelter and food for many small birds in winter. Wrens, blue-tits and robins can often be seen amongst the swaying stalks and large flocks of fieldfares are a common sight. It was quite a few years, however, since I had seen so many redwings there. They are more usually found amongst the hedges, meadows and arable farmland.
The redwing is one of the smaller members of the thrush family. It is slightly darker
than the mavis and has the same white stripe above its eye as a fieldfare. What really
makes it stand out from its cousins is the rusty red plumage under its wings which can be
seen quite clearly when the bird flies past. Like the fieldfare, a very small number of
redwings breed in northern Scotland but the large flocks which we see here in winter have
bred in Scandinavia, northern Europe and Siberia and visit us from October onwards.
Despite being a bird of the far north, the redwing is not really a very hardy little chap.
If we get a long cold snap, many will die. Matters are made even worse if there is a
shortage of the fruits and berries which make up its main diet. Hawthorn berries are a
favourite and I wondered if the large number of redwings on the foreshore was the result
of a frugal supply of berries in the hedgerows this year. When we get a cold Spring and
blossom doesn't get properly pollinated, we don't always realise just how much the natural
larder of fruits and seeds will be affected the following winter.
Anyway, let's hope that the situation doesn't get too tough for the little redwings during the next month or two. The Big Bay orchestra would miss them.