Tree that feeds the birds and protects man

I was sitting in my car waiting to collect my son and, as often happens, he was late. The car was parked beside a mature rowan tree drooping with scarlet berries and suddenly it was invaded by a flock of noisy, squabbling birds.

They were song thrushes, which are usually a well-mannered species. But something about this harvest of autumn fruit had gone to their heads and they were behaving out of character, more like raucous starlings than thrushes.

They were so excited and competitive that most of the berries got knocked off by their wings rather than eaten and soon the ground under the tree was red with them.