Today a fieldfare was recorded at Bracken House for the first time, bringing the total number of bird types sighted here to 32.
Fieldfares are large, colourful thrushes, much like a mistle thrush in general size, shape and behaviour. They stand very upright and move forward with purposeful hops. They are very social birds, spending the winter in flocks of anything from a dozen or two to several hundred strong. These straggling, chuckling flocks that roam the UK’s countryside are a delightful and attractive part of the winter scene.
These winter visitors eat insects, worms and berries and a favourite feeding area is hawthorn hedges, which is where this one was sighted.
Also today, I have completed a page for the Bracken House website about Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINCs), of which Selston Common Grasslands is one. You can find the SINC page here.