Nature notes – Dec 2025
Twelve Days of Christmas
Birds figure prominently in the well-known Christmas song/carol. This month we look at the birds mentioned and some of the biblical interpretations that have been attached to this carol.
A Partridge in a Pear Tree
As this song first appeared in print in 1780 the partridge in question would have been the Grey Partridge. This bird is now relatively scarce as a result of the release of large numbers of larger, Red-legged Partridge on shooting estates. If the partridge on your Christmas Card has an orange face and a dark brown horseshoe mark on its breast; congratulations, you have got the original native partridge. Partridges are mainly seen on the ground; pear trees are not the obvious place to look for them.
Two Turtle Doves
Sadly, Turtles Dove numbers have crashed in recent years, mainly as a result of shooting and trapping of migrating birds on both sides of the Mediterranean. The soft, purring song was once one of the noises of a fine summer day. However, very few are now recorded in our county. Doves are a symbol of peace and fidelity, as they are thought to mate for life.
Three French Hens
The chicken breed, Bresse Gauloise, is known as the Queen of Poultry and is highly sought after for its flavour. A good alternative to the Christmas Turkey? It has white feathers, a red comb (head crest) and blue legs; the colours of the French Flag.
Four Calling Birds
This is a corruption of a corruption. Calling was once ‘colley’, a reference to coalcoloured. The coal-coloured bird referred to was most likely the blackbird; a bird that most people would know. There is a biblical interpretation here. Those ‘calling’ were considered by some to be the writers of the four Gospels.
Six Geese A-laying
Another biblical interpretation here. Did the six laying geese refer to the six days in which God created (laid down) everything, prior to reflecting on his creation on the seventh day? Before the introduction of Canada Geese and feral Grey Lag Geese, farmyard geese would be the most likely goose known to most people. Wild geese tend to winter around estuaries and only people living near the coast would encounter them. No doubt goose eggs went into many Christmas Puddings, and goose fat is still used to make crisp roast potatoes.
Seven Swans A Swimming
Mute Swans are not native to Britain and are thought to have been introduced by the Romans. Historically most swans were owned and were a table delicacy served up by Monarchs and Lords. There is still a ‘Keeper of the King’s Swans’ but it is a myth that all swans belong to the monarch. However all Mute Swans are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Acts. Two species of wild swan winter in the UK. In recent years their fortunes have changed. Bewick Swans were once common winter visitors whilst the larger Whooper Swan was quite rare. Now Whoopers are seen very frequently but the declining Bewick population is finding all the food it needs at sites in the Low Countries and as a consequence fewer reach the UK.
This month’s picture is a Whooper Swan. This bird had a damaged wing and spent the summer at Frampton Marsh RSPB reserve in Lincolnshire.
David Scott
