The Lincolnshire Bird Club

A winter walk with no particular reason apart from getting out to enjoy the sights and sounds.

The noticable thing today was the amount winter thrush. Hedgerows and fields hosted our guests.

Fieldfare were numerous today and they were feeding in the rising fields to the south of the Reserve. I estimated about 500 but this could be way out as they seemed to be everywhere. A walk stopper was involuntary when the ground feeding birds were disturbed and they flooded overhead, filling the sky.

On my walk up the hill passed the Quarry our every step was met with the departure of redwing and fieldfare. Clucking, seeping and chacking accompanied the ruffle of feathers and it was a tunnel of winter wonder.

At the top of the hill we were now used to the rush and panic of the day but the trill of a waxwing sharpened my mind and there it was, a waxwing, heading towards some others resting and preening in a standard hedge ash.

It did strike me how the hedgerows had been flailed to look very neat. They did still bear some berries, which I saw the both thrushes and waxwing feeding on, but there must have been many, many more wasted for no good reason. This natural food supply can mean life or death for wildlife and surely this hedge management can be fitted in much later in the winter.

Farm worker cutting hedges in burton where waxwings "were".

Yet another road full of thorns. I get slow punctures nearly every year from this kind of thing, how come it's legal ?

I feel a proactive moment coming on. I wonder if I could prepare a gathering of local farmers to my area and present information to highlight the value of winter berries, hedgerows etc. It could be an interesting debate with both sides of the situation talking sensibly.

If this was carried out in other areas of lincolnshire too then, even if there is a small attitude change, it could make a big difference.

great idea andy, from little acorns mighty oak trees grow !!!! end of march is by far the best time to do that councils also could take note.

terry whalin

Hi Andy

You may wish to gen up on Hedgerow managemnt guidance under the Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) - many farmers will have land and hedgerows in this scheme.

Kev

Wow we have momentum already.

Hi Kev, I am sure there are many landowners and managers doing the right thing with hedgerows. I am sure there are some that could change for the better too. I will certainly need to 'gen-up' for sure but I would also need some really good photos to help with impact too. I guess I could appeal to those many fantastic photographers on this site for picture donation nearer the time.