Fieldfares arrive in the UK each autumn from Scandinavia to feast on berries and worms. Large flocks in farmland hedgerows represent one of the most spectacular winter wildlife events — and depend on berry-rich habitats.
Fieldfare winter welfare depends on berry availability in hedgerows and farmland. Loss of berry-bearing hedgerow species — hawthorn, holly, crab apple — through hedge removal and intensive management reduces the food supply available to fieldfares and the redwings that accompany them. In hard frost periods, fieldfares in berry-depleted areas move rapidly, burning energy reserves. Gardens with windfall apples left on the ground provide an important supplementary food source. Hedgerows managed on 3-year rotation — allowing berry production before cutting — provide more winter food than annually cut hedges that rarely produce fruit.