The berries of the Mahonia outside my front window are mostly over. In the past few weeks they’ve attracted the appetite of many birds. Mostly Blackbirds who have stuffed beakfuls of the blue fruit before flying off.
But there were, fleetingly, Blackcaps, and Starlings have visited on occasion.
And to my excitement, I also spotted Song Thrushes, a bird I’ve never seen in this area let alone on the Mahonia. This isn’t to say that they weren’t here before, just that I’ve never noticed them. I know their song, but haven’t even heard them..
I’m not a keen birder – I wouldn’t have the patience to sit in a hide and wait… I prefer to spot them when I’m doing other things, like gardening or sitting at my computer. In a way, I think I feel more connected, each of us going about our business, rather than hunting them with a twicher’s gaze.
