Song Thrush
| Irish Name: | Smólach ceoil |
| Scientific name: | Turdus philomelos |
| Bird Family: | Thrushes |
green
Conservation status
Conservation status
Status
Resident. Additional birds arrive from Continent in winter. One of Ireland's top 20 most widespread garden birds.
Identification
The Thrush most familiar to people. Roughly the size of a Blackbird, plain brown upperparts and buffish white underside, with prominent arrow-shaped black spots in lines down the breast and flanks. Legs pale pinkish-grey. Bounds along ground in search of worms. Males sit on high perch delivering song, which is loud and far-carrying. Usually occurs in ones and twos - never in flocks.
Voice
A close rival songster to the Blackbird, from which it mainly differs in its repetition of each phrase three or four times. Typical phrases include "cherry dew, cherry dew, cherry dew" and "knee-deep, knee-deep…." . Loud, fluty and far-carrying. Distress call is an agitated loud rattle or a quiet "seep" and contatct note a short "swick" , often given in flight.
Diet
Insects and other invertebrates, especially earthworms, with snails being a particular favourite. Song Thrushes will smash snail shells against stones, called "thrush anvils", to break them open, a method that very few other Irish birds ever use. Also berries and other fruit, including apples.
Breeding
Breeds throughout Ireland - mainly in hedgerows and gardens. Nest in trees, bushes, ivy, brambles and sometimes conifers.
Wintering
Widespread.
Monitored by
Common and widespread throughout Ireland.
Resident throughout the year. Population increase in Winter due to influx from Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.
Blog posts about this bird
Spread your wings with a stay at Cape Clear Bird Observatory in 2024
Think of an island of just under 6km² in size and you would be forgiven for believing that your options for things to see and do are limited.
Yet, on making the crossing from Baltimore to Cape Clear Island in County Cork, you will pass through a portal to endless natural wonders.
Take it from Steve Wing. 25 years since first moving to the island to take up the reins as Cape Clear Bird Observatory’s Wildlife Officer, he is still making discoveries.
“There are all sorts of things to discover here. It is a great place to gain enjoyment and knowledge about any aspect of nature,” he said. “When it comes to the natural world, the learning is endless. If you take up birdwatching, you will by default start asking more questions. ‘What’s that moth or butterfly? ‘What’s the tree they’re feeding in?’ You want to follow on. The more you learn about one thing, the more you want to learn about another.
We don’t just do birding here; we do all sorts of things. I’m still learning about moth identification, for example. That’s as much a lesson for me as anyone else.”
Steve Wing
As the home of the Republic of Ireland’s only bird observatory and one of the best places in Europe to observe migratory seabirds and rarities, Cape Clear is a magnet for birdwatchers all around Ireland, and beyond. But what is it about this island that makes it such a haven for bird life? “It’s location, location, location basically,” Steve responded. Indeed, Cape Clear's remote island location on the southwestern coast and mild climate make it a hot spot for an abundance of species. Many of those who visit Cape Clear to birdwatch today are following in the footsteps of the “pioneers” who founded the Observatory, as Steve explained. On a visit to Cape Clear in 1959, a group of young birdwatchers from England discovered many rarities and noted the potential Cape Clear Island offered for observing bird migration. Owing to their enthusiasm and a subsequent anonymous donation, the wheels were set in motion for the establishment of the Bird Observatory we know today. In 2000, Cape Clear Bird Observatory came under the ownership of BirdWatch Ireland, just two years after Steve took up his post. You can read more about the history of Cape Clear here.
Steve Wing Cape Clear Wildlife Officer in doorway of CCBO. Photo: Brian Caffrey
Steve’s work at Cape Clear varies, depending on the time of year. Between April and September, he is kept busy running his extremely popular “Wildlife Weekends” – short and interactive courses suitable for the beginner birder right up to the seasoned twitcher. “When I am doing the courses, I am 100 percent with the people from the minute I wake up to the moment I go to bed. Whatever I am doing, they will get a chance to do. I take them for walks, do some ringing with them and tell them more about birds and Cape Clear in general. You're not sitting in a classroom, you're walking and talking and learning all the time,” he explained. “Participants will learn how to identify birds by looking at things like bill shape, the size of the bird, the colour, what they’re feeding on and their location. They will learn some basic birdwatching knowledge and a little bit of fieldcraft, and, of course, get plenty of enjoyment. There is the social side to the weekend, too. Every evening, we go to the pub and discuss what has happened during the day. If people leave here happy, have had a good time and want to come back, it’s a success in my eyes.” In addition to Steve’s Wildlife Weekends, Cape Clear also plays host to the week-long “Seabirds to Songbirds” courses led by Dick Coombes. Through these courses, which will take place on two dates in 2024, participants will gain an insight into the world of migration and the joys of sea-watching.
Cory's Shearwater. Photo: Artie Kopelman
When the guests have packed their bags and set sail for the mainland, Steve returns to his work on the island. There’s no such thing as a typical day, however, as his activities tend to shift with the changing weather and seasons. In late summer and early autumn, he might sit on the cliffs and monitor the seabirds – an activity known as seawatching. If the weather is calm and there are birds around, he might open the nets to do some ringing. To date, approximately 23,000 individual birds have been ringed on Cape Clear, Steve said, adding that it is a job he feels extremely lucky to carry out. “It is a total privilege to be able to hold on to a bird and show people the topography of it, how the feathers work and why the bill shape liked that. It is a lot easier to see close up. To see the look of awe on kids’ faces when they see a Robin or Blue Tit is fantastic. They're amazed,” he said. “Ringing itself is wonderful always but it’s always nice to catch something that’s rare, like a Golden Oriole, for example. Anything you catch that you're not expecting to is a bonus.” Information gathered from ringing and monitoring work has taught us a lot about how bird populations are faring on the island. For example, as Steve explained, Herring Gull numbers on the island have declined dramatically in recent years, likely due to a combination of factors including overfishing. Meanwhile, Fulmar numbers have risen as many have taken over former Herring Gull breeding sites. “Song Thrushes seem to be doing incredibly well around here, whereas around most of the rest of Europe they are declining. Maybe it is the fact there aren’t so many pesticides being used here. We don’t know for sure,” continued Steve. “We seem to be getting more Mediterranean seabirds also. Last year, I had a record year for Cory Shearwaters for the whole south coast of Ireland. We had tens of thousands coming through.” Ringing also gives us information about migration routes. We now know that some of the birds recorded on Cape Clear have travelled a tremendous distance to be there.
Sedge Warbler. Photo: Clive Timmons.
“I caught three adult Sedge Warblers in 2017 and up until three years ago, I was still catching two of the three when they returned to Cape after wintering in Gambia and Senegal. We did a very quick rough estimate on Google Maps and realised that these birds had pretty much done a circumnavigation of the planet in their lifetimes. It's an amazing feat for these tiny birds the size of Robins.” While Steve’s Wildlife Weekends are now fully booked for 2024 and only a limited number of places remain on the “Seabirds to Songbirds” courses, it is still possible to visit Cape Clear and experience the natural wonders that it holds. From April 8th, members of the public can take the boat from Baltimore and stay in the Bird Observatory’s self-catering style accommodation in shared dorms. For more information and to book, visit the BirdWatch Ireland website. Regardless of whether you visit Cape Clear for a course or on a self-guided trip, alone or with friends, you are sure to depart with additional knowledge and a renewed appreciation for Ireland’s bird life. “Capers say Ireland is the island off Cape and that this is the best place in Ireland to be. If you visit, you will learn a lot about the birds, you will learn more about the general art of birdwatching and hopefully, you will get to appreciate what a beautiful place Cape is. Come with an open mind. You are sure to learn something.” Find our more about and book a Cape Clear course in 2024.
Large influx of Scandinavian finches to Irish gardens last winter. The Irish Garden Bird Survey has begun again!
BirdWatch Ireland’s Irish Garden Bird Survey returns next week, for the 34th consecutive winter. The survey is very simple and asks people to spend a short amount of time each week watching their garden birds and recording what they see. It plays an important role in tracking the fortunes of some of Ireland’s best-loved wildlife.
On Their Way
BirdWatch Ireland has received lots of correspondence from concerned people all around the country whose garden birds are ‘missing’. This is simply a result of the abundance of natural food available to them in the countryside, but as the weeks go on and weather gets colder more and more birds will be retreating to gardens for food and shelter, just in time for the Irish Garden Bird Survey!
Rare Arrivals
Last winter there was a big increase in the number of Bramblings in Irish gardens. Bramblings are a close relative of our native Chaffinch that breed in northern Scandinavia and are quite rare in Ireland. Every few years however, we get a big influx, and last year 4% of gardens in 21 counties had at least one of these Scandinavian migrants hiding amongst their Chaffinches. “There was a noticeable spike in their numbers in mid-January, corresponding with the lowest recorded temperatures of the winter, highlighting just how important it is to put out food and water in advance of frost or snow!” said Brian Burke, who coordinates the survey for Birdwatch Ireland.
Other notable rarities include the invasive Ring-necked Parakeets in a select few Dublin gardens and a Rustic Bunting in a garden in County Down. Rustic Buntings nest in woodlands in eastern Scandinavia and Siberia and spend the winter in south-east Asia, and this was only the 23rd record of the species in Ireland. A Mediterranean Gull in a Dublin garden represents only the third record of the species in the Irish Garden Bird Survey, though they’re definitely increasing in coastal habitats.
“Taking part in the survey is really easy, and while it doesn’t require a huge commitment, it definitely provides people with extra motivation to keep an even closer eye on their garden birds, and that’s when you might spot something new,” said Brian. “It might be something rare at a national level, or something common but that you’ve never seen in your garden before. There’s excitement either way!”
Common Species, increases and decreases
Robins were seen in the highest proportion of gardens last winter (>99%), followed by Blackbird (>97%) and Blue Tit (>96%), with Magpie moving up to fourth place (90%). House Sparrows were the most numerous birds recorded (average count of 9-10 per garden), followed by Starling and Goldfinch (8-9 per garden).
Our native hibernicus subspecies of Coal Tit fell to its worst ranking in 20 years (11th place, <80% of gardens) after a series of poor years. Another species showing significant decreases was Song Thrush (down 10%, from 13th to 17th), which may have suffered high nest losses because of the cold start to the summer the previous year. Pied Wagtail, also known by many as the ‘Willy Wagtail’, also declined by 10%.
Notable increases include the Jay, a colourful member of the crow family which also belongs to a unique Irish hibernicus subspecies. They were recorded in more than 10% of gardens for the first time ever, reflecting a widespread increase in the Irish population. More common members of the crow family, such as Jackdaw, Rook and Hooded Crow all increased last year, as did all three of our most common pigeon species: Woodpigeon, Collared Dove and Feral Pigeon. Great Spotted Woodpeckers, which first began their colonisation of Ireland around 2005, were recorded in 5% of Irish gardens, across 21 counties, and continue to increase across the country, favouring peanut feeders in the winter.
Avian Flu and Trichomonosis in Garden Birds
BirdWatch Ireland would like to stress that the risk of Avian Flu in garden birds is very low at present and that it is safe to continue to feed your garden birds. Avian Flu decimated some seabird species such as Gannet this summer, with hundreds of dead and unwell birds washing up on beaches, while in more recent months it has been swans, geese and ducks that have been infected. “Bird flu is currently circulating in our waterbird species, but these birds don’t tend to interact closely with garden birds. Swans and sparrows don’t hang out together, so it’s unlikely bird flu will be brought into gardens. It’s a situation we’ll continue to keep a close eye on, however,” said Brian.
The main risk to garden birds continues to be the trichomonas parasite, which has been infecting finches for over 15 years now. Greenfinches were present in fewer than half of gardens last winter, down from over 90% of gardens in the early 2000’s. Also, Chaffinches in urban areas are declining faster than those in rural parts of the country, apparently because there are more feeders in urban gardens where they pick up the infection. “If you’re putting out feeders, you also have a responsibility to clean them thoroughly at least once a week to ensure the costs don’t outweigh the benefits to the birds,” notes Brian.
Supporting the Survey
The Irish Garden Bird Survey is once again sponsored by Ballymaloe, whose support in recent years has helped ensure the survey has gone from strength to strength, improving monitoring at national level and allowing for greater focus on conservation issues facing individual species.
"Collectively Ballymaloe House, Ballymaloe Cookery School and Ballymaloe Foods are delighted to sponsor the Irish Garden Bird Survey annually in memory of our founder Ivan Allen. Ivan, Myrtle Allen's husband, loved the birdlife in and around Ballymaloe House and farmed considerately ensuring their natural habitat was undisturbed. His sustainable farming practices were undoubtedly ahead of their time. Supporting this Irish Garden Bird Survey is Ballymaloe businesses way to continually celebrate Ivan's passion for birdlife, whilst supporting Irish birdlife conservation in his name." Laura Behan, General Manager of Ballymaloe House.
To find out more about the survey and the different trends and patterns seen for different garden birds over the last 30 years, listen to the survey coordinator Brian Burke talk to Ricky Whelan and Niall Hatch for the 'In Your Nature' podcast, by clicking here.
For full details about the survey, how to take part and looking after your garden birds, click here.
