We are not quite at the shortest day yet but somehow the Song Thrush will be able to tell the darkening days are almost behind us and the corner towards spring has been turned.
The Robin has been the sole singer (or is it the 'soul' singer with that plaintiff winter song?) for the past three months but soon, gradually, the Song Thrush will be joining in. Every year, as soon as the shortest day passes so you start to hear the Song Thrush in full voice.
Once upon a time the Song Thrush was common in gardens but in recent years the numbers have crashed and now it ranks number 17 in the garden bird league table when thirty years ago it was number 10.
Fortunately the decline of this species does seem to have stopped and the population stabilised and one hears them quite often out in the countryside but they are still only very occasional visitors to gardens.
They are lovely birds, quite gentle compared to their cousin, the aggressive Blackbird.
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