BIRDS FREQUENTING ELDER PARK. GOV AN. 211 



Redwing (Turdus iliacus). — A winter migrant. I observed 

 the Redwing for the first time about the end of October, 1906. 

 At no time was it common, and it was usuallj' seen in company 

 with the Song Thrush. After careful watching, I noticed that 

 the birds got nearly all their food on the ground. The 

 Hawthorn was the only tree of which I saw them touch the 

 berries. The Redwings were seen up till 8th March, 1907, 

 and reappeared on 28th November. From that date onward 

 no sign of them could be seen until during the stormy weather 

 of the last week of January. On 31st January five were 

 noted amongst the shrubs at the south-west corner of the park. 

 These were quite tame, and one of them approached to within 

 6 feet from where I was standing. 



Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris). — Another of our winter 

 visitors. Fieldfares were common during the winter of 1906, 

 and arrived about the same time as the Redwings, but were 

 more inclined to frequent the trees, and were very seldom 

 seen on the ground. They remained very wild up till their 

 departure on 29th March. They reappeared on 11th December, 

 which was the only time when I saw the Fieldfare last winter. 



Blackbird (Turdus merula). — A resident. It starts to sing 

 at the beginning of February. I am under the impression 

 that a few pairs nest annually in the park, as young birds are 

 common during summer. About the middle of April, 1907, I 

 had daily the pleasure of watching a pair of Blackbirds during 

 their love-making. They seemed to prefer one tree in 

 particular, on which they afterwards built their nest. The 

 nest, which took about a fortnight to build, was unfortunately 

 placed in an exposed position, and was damaged twice before 

 completion. Having taken my stand about twelve feet from 

 the nest, I could watch, through the shelter of a shrub, the 

 building operations. The female bird sat inside and laboured 

 at the construction of the nest, while the male bird supplied 

 her with the materials. She kept beating her breast against 

 the inside of the nest, so as to give it its rounded shape, 

 while she adjusted the outside with her bill. On 10th May, 

 a day or two after the nest had been completed, I found that 

 the whole structure had been torn down. The birds then gave 



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