I have noticed large groups of Fieldfares around in the last week. I believe
these often move South in search of berries when the weather is extremely
cold or snowy in Scandanavia and Northern Europe.
The last time I saw these and Redwings in large flocks was 1963.
Now I think it is a rural myth to say they are a harbinger of severe weather
in the UK but ......... (also see Will's forecast, which is sensibly
uncertain about potential outcomes).

Dave, S.Essex.

On Fri, 26 Dec 2003 18:33:19 -0000, "DC"
wrote:

I've noticed a lot more Starlings around lately.


Phil (south Wales)

"Malcolm Ogilvie" wrote in message
...

It therefore not only has nothing to do with "extremely cold or snowy"
weather in Scandinavia and Northern Europe, or the rural myth that "they
are a harbinger of severe weather", but is the exact opposite of the
rural myth (= old wives' tale) which says that loads and loads of
berries is nature's way of telling the birds that there is a hard winter
on the way.

Yes, they always say round here that if you make a lot of hay, or there are
a lot of berries, then they will be needed.

Old wives are a bit vague on explaining the mechanism

Jim Webster

Last winter, there was a huge cop of rowanberries in Scandinavia and I
saw fielfares and waxtails all winter in southern Finland. This year,
there has been hardly any rowanberries - and hardly any seedeaters are
left.

Birds of Britain says about fieldfares:
"Only a proportion of the Scandinavian fieldfares migrate. The
remainder spend the winter in their home countries, often in very
large numbers. snip By mid-November normal fieldfare emigration in
Scandinavia is at an end unless weather conditions become severe. Then
and particularly if the berry crop fails, 'weather migrants' may
arrive in East Anglia at any time during December or even in January.
Like waxwings, fieldfares are nomadic and show no allegiance to
regular wintering areas."

more here
http://www.birdsofbritain.co.uk/bird.../fieldfare.htm

Cheers, Elena, the non-twitcher

(phil) wrote in message ...
On Fri, 26 Dec 2003 18:33:19 -0000, "DC"
wrote:

I've noticed a lot more Starlings around lately.


Phil (south Wales)

I have noticed that on the rather large hydrangea that grows at the rear of
our garden, a total absence of early new shoots from the base of the plant,
again this year as in last December.
Previous years to last there was an abundance of new growth in December.
Not sure if this has any meaning but we had our first January snow last year
for a number of years.

Best regards. Len
"Jim Webster" wrote in message
...

"Malcolm Ogilvie" wrote in message
...

It therefore not only has nothing to do with "extremely cold or snowy"
weather in Scandinavia and Northern Europe, or the rural myth that "they
are a harbinger of severe weather", but is the exact opposite of the
rural myth (= old wives' tale) which says that loads and loads of
berries is nature's way of telling the birds that there is a hard winter
on the way.

Yes, they always say round here that if you make a lot of hay, or there
are
a lot of berries, then they will be needed.

Old wives are a bit vague on explaining the mechanism

Jim Webster

DC wrote in message
...
I have noticed large groups of Fieldfares around in the last week. I
believe
these often move South in search of berries when the weather is extremely
cold or snowy in Scandanavia and Northern Europe.
The last time I saw these and Redwings in large flocks was 1963.
Now I think it is a rural myth to say they are a harbinger of severe
weather
in the UK but ......... (also see Will's forecast, which is sensibly
uncertain about potential outcomes).

Dave, S.Essex.



Fieldfares are normally around in large groups in Winter, but they are
normally in the fields where most people don't see them.

When I lived in Devon around 1990 I remember one Sunday when there was a
gale force easterly with a maximum temperature of minus 4. Every garden in
Ivybridge was full of Fieldfares and Redwings eating berries.




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In message , Jim Webster
writes

"Malcolm Ogilvie" wrote in message
...

It therefore not only has nothing to do with "extremely cold or snowy"
weather in Scandinavia and Northern Europe, or the rural myth that "they
are a harbinger of severe weather", but is the exact opposite of the
rural myth (= old wives' tale) which says that loads and loads of
berries is nature's way of telling the birds that there is a hard winter
on the way.

Yes, they always say round here that if you make a lot of hay, or there are
a lot of berries, then they will be needed.

Old wives are a bit vague on explaining the mechanism

Could it be a way of saying that in many (most?) years you could not
make enough?

Jim Webster



--
Five Cats
Email to: cats_spam at uk2 dot net

I have noticed large groups of Fieldfares around in the last week. I
believe
these often move South in search of berries when the weather is
extremely
cold or snowy in Scandanavia and Northern Europe.
The last time I saw these and Redwings in large flocks was 1963.
Now I think it is a rural myth to say they are a harbinger of severe
weather
in the UK but ......... (also see Will's forecast, which is sensibly
uncertain about potential outcomes).

Dave, S.Essex.



Fieldfares are normally around in large groups in Winter, but they are
normally in the fields where most people don't see them.

When I lived in Devon around 1990 I remember one Sunday when there was a
gale force easterly with a maximum temperature of minus 4. Every garden in
Ivybridge was full of Fieldfares and Redwings eating berries.

Yes, as I said I don't think they are a predictor of cold weather here but I
have also noticed more in severe weather, for whatever reason.

Dave. Thanks for interesting responses.

"Five Cats" ] wrote in message
]...
In message , Jim Webster
writes

"Malcolm Ogilvie" wrote in message
...

It therefore not only has nothing to do with "extremely cold or snowy"
weather in Scandinavia and Northern Europe, or the rural myth that
"they
are a harbinger of severe weather", but is the exact opposite of the
rural myth (= old wives' tale) which says that loads and loads of
berries is nature's way of telling the birds that there is a hard
winter
on the way.

Yes, they always say round here that if you make a lot of hay, or there
are
a lot of berries, then they will be needed.

Old wives are a bit vague on explaining the mechanism

Could it be a way of saying that in many (most?) years you could not
make enough?

Yes I suspect there is a tendency to stock to the limit (be it wildlife of
farm animals) and so there good years more survived so it was just enough

Jim Webster

I used to see flocks of Fieldfares in NE England, and I seem to remember it was
when the weather was cold i.e 0 to 5 C.

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