Mike Dilger’s wildlife watching
In his series of great places to watch wildlife in the UK, the star of BBC One’s The One Show this month invites us to explore ancient orchards, with tips on fieldcraft and the bird species that you might hope to see.
Head to British orchards this winter, to enjoy a feathered feeding frenzy
Orchards have been an integral component of Britain’s landscape for so long that it’s difficult to believe the ancestral species of cultivated apples and pears actually hail from foreign climes. With apples emanating from Central Asia, and pears originating from Central and Eastern Europe to southwest Asia, their initial introduction to Britain must be credited to the Romans.
As monasteries, and then large estates, carried on the fruity tradition after the Romans departed, by World War II the orchard had become a well-established feature of small-scale mixed farming, from Kent to Herefordshire and Somerset to Worcestershire. Such became the home-grown expertise in grafting and selective breeding that it is believed as many as 3,000 different varieties now populate British orchards.
Orchards are surprisingly biologically diverse for what is essentially a cultivated crop, as they contain a mosaic of habitats encompassing elements of woodland, hedgerow and meadow grassland. Fruit trees also age relatively quickly and so they readily accumulate the holes, cracks and crevices associated with over-mature trees, in turn providing bed and breakfast to invertebrates, fungi, birds, bats and small mammals. Unfortunately, the rise in cheap supermarket imports and subsequent drive towards agricultural intensification in the 1950s ultimately led to the disappearance of numerous traditional orchards. The good news is that, of around 42,000 orchards remaining across England and Wales, a healthy proportion are still in a decent condition and able to accommodate visitors.
While orchards can be rich locations in which to watch wildlife at any season, the middle of winter is a fine time to visit for those who prefer their wildlife feathered. As temperatures plummet and hedgerows become systematically stripped, the fallen fruit scattered in among the gnarled trunks will provide a bonanza right through the season for both resident British birds and migrants arriving anywhere from Scandinavia across to northern Russia.
At those sites with apples littering the orchard floor, the competition for food can be intense, as different thrush species squabble over the discarded fruit. Not dissimilar to a garden bird feeder, an established pecking order tends to occur, as the bulkier mistle thrushes and fieldfares throw their weight around, while the slighter redwings and blackbirds bide their time at the margins until they can dive in.
Even a distracted throng of feeding thrushes will remain wary of any potential predators, making them easily disturbed by the careless naturalist, so a spot of fieldcraft will increase your chance of seeing the bunfight at its best. Sombre clothing is an essential prerequisite, and using hedgerows as cover should ensure your outline is less obvious.
The best technique of all is to employ a portable hide, so you can view the birds to your heart’s content without causing them any disturbance. The smart move is to get someone else to walk you into the hide, before they then visibly depart the orchard. This trick will likely dupe the innumerate birds into thinking the coast is clear.
The fallen fruit scattered in among gnarled trunks provide a bonanza right through the season.