The Nature of Scotland

Ready for the storm
Sometimes you might see one on the
very top of a tree, as the sky darkens
and strengthening wind bounces bird
and branches. Early in the year, it might
even sing as the rain clouds move in.
Stormcock. That’s one of the
traditional names for this bird that
seems almost to revel in shifts of
weather, like a feathered John Muir in
the woods of his homeland.
Mistle thrush. That’s the usual name,
given for the thought that it might help
to spread seeds of mistletoe, which
then lodge and grow high in some
trees.
Autumn is a challenge for the
stormcock. Not for the weather, but
for the migrant invaders that can foil
its plans for winter. Mistle thrushes
are resident in their home patch, year
round. Here, they try to defend berrybearing
bushes and trees so they have
a food source to re-visit.
Waves of hungry fieldfares and
redwings swooping in from Scandinavia
can scupper such plans. Viking hordes
1, Stormcocks 0. That’s the predicted
score in some hedges near you this
autumn.
Web tip: www.garden-birds.co.uk/
birds/mistlethrush.htm
Some other things to look for in autumn:
Dark glossy elderberries: brilliant yellow aspen leaves; clusters of fungi; ‘V’ shapes of flocks
of geese overhead
6 The Nature of Scotland