A Blackbird in the garden

A blackbird in the garden; global warming?

In Tromsø, N. Norway (c 70*N) we have been very lucky with the weather these last weeks. While S. Norway groans under a series of winter storms and a surfeit of snow, we up here have enjoyed weeks of clear winter weather (now -11*C), without the now all too usual interruptions with western depressions with rain and icy roads. We also had a bumper crop of rowanberries (Sorbus, Mountain Ash) in 2017, and this has caused our most common thrush, the Fieldfare to delay their autumn migration and feast on the berries, together with our usual winter berry-eaters, the Bohemian Waxwings and Pine Grosbeaks; even a few Redwings have remained until January. Now the berries are nearly finished at last and most of the Fieldfares are gone; I saw a late one yesterday, the first in 10 days or so. There are still some waxwings around, though.

But today a male Blackbird (a black thrush, nothing to do with your American blackbirds!) stayed for a long time in my garden and fed on the sunflower seeds that had fallen down from my tube feeder, not very common blackbird fare, I should think. I have seen this bird several times already since my first observation on New Year’s day and it is no doubt trying to winter.

That is a new development, something from the last years. European Blackbirds started out as shy denizens of the forests, but very many places in Europe they are now among the most numerous garden birds, and in spite of a somewhat quarrelsome disposition, much beloved because of their wonderful song. When I moved from Bergen–where blackbirds are common– to Tromsø in 1973, I sadly lost my blackbirds for many years. But the last ten years or so I again have heard the song now and then, interestingly enough again in the forest, and the birds themselves were shy and hard to see. And now in the last winters observations of blackbirds, always adult males, in winter in town are getting more and more regular. But they have not yet become a garden bird here; that may be the next step.

The gradual penetration northwards of birds with a more southerly distribution has been most interesting to follow in the 45 years that I have lived in Tromsø. When I first arrived here in 1973, there were no Greenfinches as yet, while now it is probably the most common garden bird here in winter; here different other factors may have played a role; many more people feed the birds in winter than before, and there is also more greenery in the gardens, offering nesting possibilities.

But since then we have had a stream of ‘southern’ birds succeeding in establishing themselves here. The Chiffchaff arrived in the seventies and is now common, there are more and more Chaffinches among our native Bramblings, and in the last decade Blue Tits have become quite regular garden birds here, while also the Jay has been noted here several times and will probaby establish itself soon. All this most probably is mainly a result of the gradual warming trend; in addition the spring migrants arrive almost 2 weeks earlier than 30 years ago, as shown by my colleague Rob Barrett.

We are also losing some birds: there are no longer Lapwings or Song Larks at the airport, and the numbers of lekking Ruffs are decreasing steadily from year to year. But here the causes are much less clearcut. The growth of the town (from 40 000 in 1970 to 75 000 now) has of course had a negative influence—I no longer hear Bluethroats singing in town, even though they are still common enough in the surroundings

Just some thoughts, on seeing a blackbird in the garden.

Wim Vader, Tromsø, Norway