Birds Of St John The Baptist Church Sutton-at-Hone

The European Robin has become a familiar bird of gardens and has won the hearts of many bird lovers, featuring on Christmas cards. Robins often begin singing in late Autumn and continue through the winter as they begin to defend their feeding and breeding territory.

Sutton-at-Hone churchyard is home to several pairs of Robins and if you sit on one of the benches around the cemetery you will see one sooner or later.

Dunnock - Although this species used to be called Hedge Sparrow it is not a sparrow at all. Some people may find them a little dull but if you look closely at them you will see that they have beautiful but subtle colours.

Dunnocks famously exhibit some quite promiscuous behaviour, not very appropriate for a religious setting but a few pairs make St John The Baptist Church yard the place they nest.

Blackbird - For those that were not already aware, the news is that Blackbirds are a type of thrush; if you look at their shape and behaviour the similarities become apparent.

The distinctive black males are a familiar sight and sound in the spring and summer, singing from high points around their territory; one can sometimes be seen singing from the church roof. The brown females are often more secretive, their brown plumage camouflaging them when incubating their eggs.

Fieldfare - This migratory thrush is a winter visitor to Britain and flocks of them start arriving from Scandinavia in October, usually starting to depart in early March. The churchyard at Sutton-at-Hone is an excellent place to see these birds in autumn and winter as they feed on berries and shelter in the coniferous trees. When the weather is at its most harsh, these birds are forced out into the open to feed just like the one in this video I recorded nearby.

Redwing - This is another migratory thrush that visits UK from Scandinavia. This is the smallest British thrush and the red (well, orange) flashes can be seen under the wing as the birds fly, which is what gives this bird its name. Again this species is easiest to see in the autumn feeding on the many berries in the churchyard. Check out my video about Redwings feeding habits in winter.

Song Thrush - This species is a resident in the churchyard, although like the other thrush species, its numbers are swelled by winter visitors from further north. Song Thrush used to be a familiar sight in all gardens in the Sutton-at-Home and Hawley area but not any more. Song Thrush numbers have seriously declined throughout the country making them a red list species. However, this species still nests in the churchyard and its wonderful song can be heard in Spring and early Summer. Listen for yourself in this video.

Mistle Thrush - This is the largest thrush in Britain and is another of Sutton-at-Hone's breeding birds. These days mistle thrush is commoner than song thrush and it is often easier to see, flying noisily around; listen out for its harsh rattling call as it chases other birds from its territory. Like other thrushes, this species is more abundant in winter.

Blue Tit - Blue Tit is probably one of the most familiar birds in Britain, famous for their milk bottle-opening feats in the 1970s and 80s, however, they usually eat small invertebrates such as caterpillars.

The churchyard at Sutton-at-Hone has a healthy population of these colourful birds and they are easy to see all year round and quite vocal - in late summer to winter they form feeding flocks with Great Tits and Long-tailed Tits.

If you are walking around the churchyard you are likely to scare off a Green Woodpecker at some point. These birds will probably surprise you by flying up off the ground where they would have been feeding on ants. As they fly away green woodpeckers will probably utter their noisy laugh or "yaffle".

These colourful birds are a real treat to see and quite easy to find at Sutton-at-Hone churchyard.

In my lifetime collared dove has gone from being an uncommon bird to being one of the commonest species in the country.

Collared doves can be seen in the trees, flying around and even on the church itself these days and their cooing is a familiar sound in the Spring and early Summer - watch out for the parachuting display flight of this attractive species.

People often ask me about an exotic bird that they have seen in their garden. It can be pink, blue or multicoloured but the answer is always that it is a Jay that is creating the excitement and confusion.Sutton-at-Hone is one of the best places in the locality to find this beauty.

Jays love acorns and will store them underground, but their memory is not so good and many of these acorns will germinate after they have forgotten where they buried the seed!

Some people may think that the churchyard looks messy, but if you view it with a more open mind and think about what wildlife requires to do well, you will see that the less manicured look suits the birds well.

Areas of grass that are not mowed through summer allow wild flowers to flourish, providing nectar to insects; patches of nettles are excellent for caterpillars - vital food for young Blue Tits; thorny brambles and hawthorn provide berries in autumn for migrating birds and patches of thick undergrowth provide nesting places for Wrens.

The churchyard here has all of these in abundance, hence the abundance of birds.