At this time of year we see our hedgerows and woods bursting into life with a riot of spring flowers and green buds.
 A cacophony of bird song can be heard in both the countryside and the garden. One bird that certainly lives up to its name is the song thrush. Its musical flute like song is often delivered from a prominent tree-top perch and can be heard at almost any time of day. Unfortunately, because of its rapid decline, it is now a species of serious conservation concern. The lack of food and nesting sites means less than 20pc of this year's juvenile birds will survive to breed next spring. This spring the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch reported that the song thrush had now dropped out of the top 20 garden birds for the first time since records started 26 years ago! ********** SOS - Save Our Song thrush Now is the time for you to take action and help stop this decline. Do your bit and make your garden a song thrush-friendly zone by following the suggestions below: * Plant dense groups and hedgerows of prickly and berry-producing shrubs, as these provide food, protection and nesting sites. Eg hawthorn, blackthorn, pyracantha, holly, Ivy, berberis and cotoneaster. * Provide a large flat stone (anvil) for the thrushes to break snail shells on - juicy slugs and snails are one of their favourite foods. * Don't use slug pellets. If eaten, poisoned slugs and snails can kill thrushes, frogs and hedgehogs. Use only wildlife friendly methods - eg beer traps and deterrents. * Don't be too tidy in the garden! Leaf litter provides ideal feeding areas for the song thrush. Alternatively, put down a mulch of bark chippings or garden compost as this fosters a healthy population of mini beasts. * Put out additional food such as apples, sultanas, fat and meal worms. Song thrushes tend to be shy of bird tables so leave the food in a quiet area near to shrub cover. * Allow a small corner of your garden to run wild with plants such as bramble, ivy and nettles. These provide excellent foraging and nesting sites for song thrushes and other wildlife. Don't cut hedges from March until August, the nesting season. * Make sure your pet cat has a bell (or two!), is always well fed and consider having it neutered/speyed, which may reduce its urge to hunt. * Derek Hilton-Brown is Newcastle City Council's ecology officer. He can be contacted on 0191 277 7195 or email Derek.hiltonbrown@newcastle.gov.uk * Northumberland Wildlife Trust: 0191 284 6884 | 
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