The novelist and poet Thomas Hardy was a passionate enthusiast of the rich melodies sung by the song thrush in spring and early summer, which he reflected well when he wrote of that ‘ecstatic sound’ and the ‘evensong of joy unlimited’.

It really is a most superb songster and is certainly a rival to the nightingale when it comes to the range and liquid flow of the notes delivered at dawn and dusk. It is estimated that the song thrush has a repertoire of over 100 different phrases, with a tendency to repeat some. This was remarked upon by Robert Browning in his poem Home Thoughts from Abroad.

That’s the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over, Lest you should think he never could recapture The first fine careless rapture!

At this time of year, sadly, our song thrushes are largely silent. Indeed, in the next few weeks many of them will head to milder climes further south, often Ireland but also as far south as France, Spain and Portugal to spend the winter. They won’t return again until February. Other birds stay behind, with numbers reasonably high during milder winters.

Song thrushes feed on a wide variety of invertebrates and they are expert snail catchers, using a favourite stone known as an ‘anvil’ to smash their shells so as to get at the succulent meat inside. At some times of the year, especially late summer, snails can form over 60% of the diet. Worms, caterpillar and slugs are also avidly taken, and they are partial to berries at this time of year.

In the late 20th century song thrush numbers declined severely, possibly due to changes in agricultural practices and habitat loss that affected numbers in more rural areas. But happily the population is now increasing and the song thrush remains one of our most familiar and popular garden birds.