C ONS E R V AT I O N S P O T T H E F URTHER I NFORMATION & HOW TO DIFFERENCE Richmond Biodiversity Partnership: www.richmond.gov.uk/biodiversity G E T I N V O LV E D Richmond Song Species Action Plan: www.richenvironmentnet. org.uk/Links.aspx#Biodiversity%20Action%20Plan Markedly smaller than Royal Society for the Protection of RSPB: www.rspb.org.uk While still a familiar blackbirds at about 20- British Trust for Ornithology BTO: www.bto.org and widespread 23cms, song thrushes are the This leaflet has been produced by the Richmond Biodiversity Partnership and funded by Parks Improvement Programme. © Richmond Biodiversity in the UK, second smallest of six thrush Partnership 2010. numbers have halved species regularly occurring in Text by Alison Fure, Keith Martin and Richmond Biodiversity Partnership. since the 1970s. Despite Britain. Both sexes have warm Photographs by Alison Fure, Phil Kirk, Nigel Reeve and Keith Martin. a slight recovery over the brown upperparts, buff flanks, buff/ last decade there has been orange-yellow underwings, short tails Please contact us if you need this a continuing small decline in and heavily spotted underparts, the spots in Braille, large print, audio tape, or London, the south and east of . often arranged in lines. another language on 0845 612 2660. Most severe in farmland areas, urban numbers have also suffered. Their decline is known to result Similar species with which song thrush might Richmond Biodiversity Partnership, from poor survival of young birds but the precise be confused include mistle thrush, , c/o Parks and Open Spaces, reasons are poorly understood. Increased use fieldfare and female blackbirds. Distinguishing Civic Centre, 44 York Street, of molluscicides, decreased availability of soil features include: TW1 3BZ (e.g. in drier summers), predation and competition with blackbirds have all been suggested. Mistle thrush (27cm) Largest thrush with more www.richmond.gov.uk/biodiversity upright stance, bold more rounded spots and Richmond Biodiversity Partnership’s Song Thrush white underwings. Longer, white edged tails, Action Plan aims to prevent any further decline, these birds are more shy and nest higher up. encourage numbers in Richmond and support Redwing (20cm) White or creamy prominent conservation and spread of song thrushes across eyebrow. Chestnut flanks and streaked not London. Two things that will go a long way to help spotted breasts. Red flanks and underwings. song thrushes in your garden are: Common winter visitors (between October & April) often in mixed flocks with fieldfares. Avoid using slug pellets or other molluscicides (25cm) Longer wings and tails than that not only reduce the numbers of slugs for blackbirds. Big, grey-headed with pale grey thrushes to eat, but are also toxic to the birds. rump, black tail and white underwings. Instead try alternative methods of slug control. Common winter visitors, gregarious Provide suitable nest sites in dense in mixed flocks with starlings and shrubby areas of your garden. . Often found in open fields Thick hedges are ideal, but any substantial & around bushes with berries. bushes will help. This habitat is declining Female blackbird (25cm) in public open spaces, increasing the Rich brown, whitish throat, long tail importance of garden nest sites. and faintly speckled breast. help to raise two or three FACT AB OUT S ONG THRUS HES broods (laying 3-5 blue, black-spotted eggs) from Robert Browning portrayed the thrush’s March to July. characteristic song: That’s the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over, S ONG THRUSH Lest you should think he never could recapture RESERVOIR

IN RICHMOND The first fine careless rapture! WETLANDS KEW CENTRE GARDENS BARNES BRIDGE Headstones at Grove Chapel Places to see song thrushes BARNES COMMON Cemetery make favoured song in Richmond Borough OLD DEER thrush anvils, and at Kilmoray (some host bird walks, check websites for details) PARK BARNES Mausoleum pieces of York stone are left Friends of River Crane Environment: www.force.org.uk RICHMOND for the thrushes. An old asbestos sheet used by a PALEWELL W COMMON hi AB OUT SONG THRUS HES song thrush along riverside was found B tt COMMON & FIELDS s r o ' oo n d k

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h a t r MARBLE HILL B v WHITTON r i er C o v R Ri PARK throughout the year, but it is most noticeable in the Generally the song thrush is doing well across N TWICKENHAM PETERSHAM breeding season, especially before dawn and after Richmond with birds breeding in parks, gardens ISLAND LODGE WOODS sunset. Clear, flute-like phrases and repetitions make and other open spaces across the borough. CRANE PARK THE COPSE e ran HAM this one of our most charismatic native songbirds. r C Rive LANDS STRAWBERRY Places to visit where they are known to breed HILL Song thrushes in Britain can be residents, summer include: and playing fields, the HAM COMMON and winter visitors or passage migrants. Familiar Wetland Centre, Leg o’Mutton, FULWELL garden birds, they are found anywhere there is a and along the Crane River Corridor, Petersham, OAK

AVENUE L mixture of trees, bushes, hedges and clearings. Terrace Gardens, Ham & East Sheen Commons, o

n g f o TEDDINGTON Birds characteristically hop and run across open Hampton, and especially woodland areas of Bushy r d R i ve ground, foraging for worms, slugs, snails, other and Richmond Parks. r invertebrates and in autumn/winter berries and fruit.

Although widespread throughout Richmond one HAMPTON Friends of Richmond Park: HAMPTON Snails form a special part of the song thrush’s diet; the of the best places to find song thrushes is WICK www.frp.org.uk latest research suggests the birds only eat snails when . Although records demonstrate Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: the ground has become too hard to dig worms out. Ham Lands’ year round importance, www.kew.org

Broken shells often litter the ground around favourite it is especially valued by the birds in HAMPTON The Royal Parks - Richmond Park COURT ‘anvils’ habitually used to hammer snails open. winter. Resident thrushes are joined Ham Lands HOME PARK and Bushy Park: www.royalparks.org.uk by continental birds which fly in to THAMES Barnes Common DITTON Historic Royal Palaces - : The song thrush builds mud-lined cup-shaped nests overwinter. A standard walk undertaken Leg o’Mutton www.hrp.org.uk/HamptonCourtPalace low down in dense shrubs, creepers on walls or on annually to count singing males Crane Park Island: WWT London Wetland Centre: the ground amongst thick vegetation. Both parents counted 17 territories in 2010. www.wildlondon.org.uk www.wwt.org.uk