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The demise of our native songthrush.

I have lived at the bottom of a woodland glade,and well to be honest in eleven year I would say that i could count the number of thrushes on one hand.However there has been an increase in black birds.

What is your experience of them?

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  • I agree, I've only seen two song thrushes in Norfolk in the past 5 years!  

    I believe that the main reason is the routine  use of slug and snail treatments by potato farmers and some gardeners. 

    http://www.npt.gov.uk/PDF/Song_Thrush_Factfile.pdf

    I sometimes see  songthrushes  when staying in South Kesteven, Lincs, in a village with lots of stone garden walls where there are plenty of places for snails to hide.  

     


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • I do have fieldfare visisting and the black birds are doing a great job with the snail as my hostas have been very good this year, and i agree that people today are far too eager to grab the pellets and sprinkle.I dont use slug pellets as i have a good number of frogs and toads that are doing a great job and then we also have hedgehogs that pay a visit to the garden.i think that people should nbe aware of other items to use to deter slugs.

  • Although we're on the edge of a city we had fieldfare last winter, we also have lots of frogs and hedgehogs visiting regularly and there are reports of grass snakes being seen in the vicinity.  They all seem to keep the slugs and snails fairly under control in this garden.

    However, my brother is a large potato and vegetable grower, and I am saddened by the routine widespread application of slug and snail treatments, several times a year.  He says they cannot produce the crops to the standard required by the supermarkets without them.image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Well thats the pressure that they are putting on the grower's and they are not thinking of the wild life.

  • here we use to have  mistle and song thrushes but they have declined ,the reason I do not know.

  • Is it possible that the increase of buzzards and sparrow hawks,or even climate change?.

  • WelshonionWelshonion Posts: 3,114

    Ummmmmmmmm!  It's not only farmers who use slug pellets.  Hands up those on this board who use them.  Yes, I thought so!

    The blackbirds will be arriving from Scandanavia soon, followed by the redwings and fieldfares. There are so many berries this year, I'm not sure they'll get to us in the far west.

    There was a thrush sitting on the wheelbarrow earlier this week, and plenty of evidence they have been busy cracking snails around the garden.

  • Welshonion wrote (see)

    ..............There was a thrush sitting on the wheelbarrow earlier this week, and plenty of evidence they have been busy cracking snails around the garden.

    Oh my word!  image  I've not seen a thrush's anvil for years ....


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • we have had cedar waxwings up here in the northwest. i have not yet seen one myself,but it was in my local northwest paper.

  • I have also noticed a decline of lapwing's anybody else noticed.

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