Nature notes

Song thrushes have been singing regularly since November, and blackbirds have been singing since February. Now they are falling silent, and neither species will sing much until those months come round again. They are moulting their feathers now in order to grow fresh ones for the winter. Robins stopped singing at the end of June, but they will resume in August. Unlike the blackbirds and thrushes, they are quick to take up their territories again, and after that sing all the winter through. Young robins, which are spotty birds, will soon have their red breasts, and will start competing for living space with their parents. Wrens are still singing vigorously. In summer they sing from higher up than in winter — even on television aerials, where from below these tiny birds can look as if they are part of the machinery.