“…we perceive intuitively a connection between the marvels of the natural world, the moral law, the life of Jesus, the depths of the human personality, our intimations about time, death and eternity, our experience of human forgiveness and love (Quaker Faith & Practice 26.33)

by Professor David Goode

The last week has been extraordinary in our garden. It started with a day when all the trees seemed to be full of song thrushes. They were everywhere. I have never seen so many together in one place.

Redwing, one of our winter thrushes (photo: Paul Wilkins)

This was a flock of thrushes that had recently arrived, blown here by the strong northerly winds last week. They probably came from Scandinavia. With them were a few redwing, also from northern Europe, that were greedily feasting on our yew berries.

Overhead small parties of the larger fieldfares, another winter thrush, called with their characteristic shack-shack-shack, the first ones this winter. Every morning since then the garden has been a babble of birdsong from the redwings, along with our robin and resident song thrush. What a delight!

• Professor David Goode’s latest book Nature in Towns and Cities – described by The Guardian as “probably the finest work on urban ecology ever written” – is now on sale and available here.