Wildlife to enjoy in winter
Post categories: Tim Scoones
| 13:42 UK time, Wednesday, 23 December 2009
Just because the days are short and cold doesn't mean winter isn't a great time to get outdoors and enjoy wildlife. Here's some ideas from us and if you've got any please do add them below.
January
Frosty winter days and early dusks make January a great time to see some of our larger mammals and impressive flocking birds.
Foxes: foraging in the open around dusk and dawn in towns and cities.
Brown hares: starting their mating rituals between now and April with unreceptive females boxing off the amorous advances of males.
Flocks of birds: Starlings roost in reedbeds, on bridges and in buildings; lapwings and golden plovers flocking on farmland.
February
Winter reigns but the first hopeful signs of spring begin to show in the plant world.
Early flowers: snowdrops poke their way through lifeless woodland floors the country over, yellow coltsfoot flowers appearing on disturbed ground before their leaves.
Herons: sticking their neck out for bizarre and wonderful courtship displays on huge stick nests in woodlands.
Rooks: Form large, raucous tree-top colonies for early breeding.
Take a walk in the woods:
Winter is one of the best times to go walking in the wood. Without leaves on the trees you are more likely to spot all sorts of wild creatures.
Mistle thrushes defending holly berries, saving them for later in the winter. Look out for the holly bush that is still red in January.
Squirrels: the mating season begins in winter for our squirrels so keep an eye out for them chasing each other through the high branches.
Buzzards: in December, this now very widespread large bird of prey spends most of its time on the ground in fields at this time of the year 'hunting' for earthworms. Earthworms form the biggest part of a buzzard's diet during the winter months, surprising for such a big bird of prey.
Crossbills: In January/February they can be seen breeding in the snow. Young birds will be being fed in the February frosts and snow from the New forest in the south to the Caledonian forests of the north. In very cold weather crossbills will come to gardens in search of water. On their diet of pine cone seeds they get very thirsty.
Stay local in your park or garden:
With it being so cold outside, sometimes it's much more comfortable to watch wildlife from the kitchen window.
Woodpigeons: love them or hate them, huge numbers of woodpigeons will be on the move within December. Individual flocks can number in the tens of thousands. The movement is generally from the north to the south-west and is most obvious on clear cold days with light winds. We aren't really sure where these birds come from or where they are going to but it would seem likely that they are moving from northern Europe and are making their way to France and possibly southern Europe. When this migration is underway it is a very impressive sight and one that a lot of people overlook.
Blackcaps: their migration has some surprise stories to tell. Bblackcaps from Germany are already eating fat-balls in people's gardens - especially in the warmer west
Garden birds: In January, birds will begin moving into gardens as nature's larder begins to run out. Finches from Northern Europe, brambling, chaffinch, siskin will join the local blue and great tits at the feeders. The winter thrushes, redwing and fieldfare, can also come in search of ornamental shrubs that still hold berries, and windfall apples. (Read about Martin Hughes Games' love affair with feeding his garden birds.)
Wrens: roosting in nest boxes. Other birds also do this.
Switch on nest cams to watch roosting blue and great tits. There might be some surprises... small mammals and overwintering butterflies!
Take a trip to the coast:
There are plenty of winter coastal spectacles to be seen, and rockpooling in winter can be just as fun as in summer.
East coast: flocks of snow buntings can be seen on the east coast, particularly in Norfolk, throughout the winter. This is when these beautiful birds, when a flock takes to the air the white patches on the wings really do give the impression of a snow blizzard, are most accessible. During the summer months they will be back on the high mountain tops of northern Europe.
West coast: during the mid-winter ravens will begin to think about breeding and begin their dramatic and breathtaking display, throwing themselves around the sky, barrel-rolling and constantly uttering a deep croaking 'cronk'.
South coast: at the northern edge of their breeding range, Dartford warblers can be at their easiest to see during the winter months as they actively search for the invertebrate food that will see them through this tough time, often partaking in a bout of singing, probably to loosely maintain a winter territory and hold an area with a good food supply.
North coast: during the winter our northern shores hold huge numbers of sea duck. Thousands of eider, long-tailed duck, common and velvet scoters are joined by smaller numbers of goldeneye and red-breasted mergansers and form huge rafts on the water that provide a real birdwatching spectacle.
Visit a nature reserve:
Winter can be one of the best times to visit a nature reserve, for example it's a great time to see huge flocks of migrating geese and wildfowl, and a starling's display is not to be missed. Visit BBC Breathing Places to find one near you.
Comments
Wonderful information thank you and specifically thanks for the direct answer to a happening that's had me guessing.
Wrens roosting in birdboxes! I have a 9 'proper' birdboxes and half a dozen 'ornamental' ones ie colour coordinated and not placed in best spot for bird nesting. On several occasions over the past few weeks I've seen a tiny bird at twilight head into one or other of these 'feature' boxes, I assumed sizewise it was a Wren and am now convinced by the above it was. Oh lucky me & happy Wren, it's been freezing but snow free here for the last 2 weeks in NE Shropshire.
Four Goldfinches (a Charm?) are daily feasting on the many half to one metre tall seed pod covered stems of self sewn Evening Primrose plants in the garden, a bird first visit for me this year!
Blackbirds & Thrushes have made the berry laden Pyracanthas & Cotoneasters last till this week!
I leave all my plants and shrubs to go to seed & don't do any 'tidying up' plus by providing bird feeders, areas & lots of insect habitat 'hotels' the rewards are great in this Market Town garden.
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have just seen a black cap in my garden defending my feeding area, he certainly doesn't want the blut/great tits having any LOL.
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Walking along the Droitwich to worcesterc canal yesterday we saw a Kingfisher perched in the reed beds. We watched him flit about trying to feed from the frozen canal
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I have just seen two male bullfinches in my garden, I have never seen them in my garden before so I had to look them up to check what they where, I knew they where finches but not sure which? They really stood out in the snow with there bright pink breasts, it's amazing to see something different like that so close I managed to get some photos.
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We have a Greater Spotted Woodpecker feeding from our fat feeder regularly since Christmas he/she is beautifully marked and have photos but cannot find anywhere to put them on this site. We think the woodpecker is living nearby, as there is woodland and farmland close to hand however, we have never been visited by this kind of bird before. We also have many male blackbirds visiting our garden plus the resident pair who see the new visitors off and there is often a scuffle when they all arrive together. We have a resident robin a wren and blue tits all types plus sparrows. We live in Bridlington on the East Coast.
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My friend has recently renovated an old property and is now getting Red Admiral butterflies appearing in her rooms. She presumes they must be coming from the attic but cant understand how they are alive or how they are coming into the rooms as everything has been renewed. Does anyone have any suggestions??
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An idea for the next Springwatch or Autumnwatch either or both is to investigate some of the escaped released and reintroduced animals have a look at http://www.hows.org.uk/inter/birds/exotics.htm with a list of Birds Mammals Herps and Misc exotics living and thriving in the UK
Just a thought
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Our garden has always attracted a great number of wild birds but this recent snowy spell has certainly made for some great bird-watching (from the comfort and warmth of the house!) and it is very interesting and enlightening to observe their behaviour and interactions. We have so many blackbirds (male and female) that at times it is impossible to count quite how many there are - what amazes me is how much time and energy they expend chasing each other (and the poor thrushes!) instead of just getting on with the important business of feeding before the weather closes in again or the neighbourhood cats put in an appearance! The two thrushes are very timid and easily intimidated by the blackbirds, unlike the noisy sparrows and starlings! We have many blue- and great-tits, several huge, waddling woodpigeons, magpies, collared doves, a robin, wren and goldcrest (very exciting!). The food is also shared with a couple of grey squirrels who frequent the garden, having buried their "treasure" around the lawn and in my pots and containers, now covered by snow and ice!
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Hi
Several years ago we were delighted to see a Snipe in our garden, foraging in the snow but Naturewatch wasn't around then, so it's just a photo in a book. It's great, therefore to share that, despite living in Hove, we actually have a flock of Redwings in the trees around our garden. We live in surburbia and normally the dominant bird is the seagull! Although, there was a Green Woodpecker having a go at a telegraph pole recently. These Redwings seem settled, feeding off the holly berries and there are at least twelve. We know they will disappear once the milder weather returns but it's always a treat to have a bird visit that is outside its normal habitat. Long may they stay.
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i had a green woodpecker in my garden yesterday looking for food under the snow in my front garden,im in droitwich spa and my feeders are always full of blue,great and long tailed tits and robins and blackbirds.
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Yesterday a flock of fieldfares and several redwings arrived in my small urban garden and feasted off the crab apples and cotoneaster berries. They have also been here today. Also yesterday a small flock of longtailed tits went through and one or two tried the fat balls. My resident birds are wood pigeons (greedy birds), magpies, crows, robin, wren, goldcrest, dunnocks, blackbirds, blue, great, coal tits and the occasional thrush and blackcap. The robin has learned to use the feeders.
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Hello there.
We are just watching a Fieldfare happily guarding a bush laiden with berries. He/she has been there for ages, chasing off any other birds that fancy a feed! We have never seen one before and we have been on the RSPB website and confirmed this bird, we now understand that it comes to town when the countyside is covered with snow, which most of the UK is at the moment. We are due more snow here in Shropshire Sunday/Monday so we may see more of this bird. We need to find out if we can enourage him/her into the back garden with wild bird food? If anyone out there knows how we can do this then please let us know. But for now we will continue to watch this lovely bird that we have never had the pleasure of seeing before.
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while i was out walking up the chawson lane earlier today 08/01/10 i saw a flock of redwings and fieldfares,it was also interesting to see all the different prints that were left in the snow,there were at least ten different fox tracks and a couple of rabbit and wood mice tracks.
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Hi,
I am lucky enough to live next to a railway bank, so have a lot of birds coming to my feeder at the moment. I often see sparrowhawks but there was something new today - a buzzard flew into the garden and snatched a pigeon straight off the feeder! It was incredibly fast, the pigeon didn't even have time to react. I was wondering - do buzzards migrate? or am I likely to see this bird again?
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Just seen 3 wild geese at the bottom of my garden(open field), now roosting in the open on the snow. Cannot ID. I am in Essex Suffolk borders, they are huge and have orange beaks with black tip and huge white bottoms!! Not Greylag, maybe Bean..Have pictures.
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Today I was treated to the most beautiful and moving bird song from what I think was an immature robin (no red breast) perched on a tree outside the back patio. It was a lovely sight to behold and wonderfully cheering on a grey and dismal day! I also spotted a goldfinch in addition to the "usual suspects" previously logged in my earlier entry.
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Just watched a couple of collared doves billing and cooing before they mated! Guess Spring must be on its way!
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Winter wildlife: a Rare bird sighting.
Black Stork :
adult (black + red beak, extended neck) and juvenile (softer black + grey beak) no noticable white feathers anywhere on the body - we are observing them from slightly above - from the 1st floor window.
- seen at River Lea in Hertford, Hertfordshire, January 2010
(possibly more than one of each as we only see one at a time.)
They have been flying up and down along the direction of our River Lea for most of January 2010.
I am advised by birdguides.com website that this cannot be so, and that it must be a Cormorant, however I've looked that up in my RSPB book and it isn't a Cormorant. It's a Black Stork I tell you. They are flying less than 10 metres from our house and we are observing them easily from our rear windows overlooking the garden and the river. they've been here for weeks.
As far as I can tell from the sightings graphs I've found online, they migrate to the South East UK in summer as rare visitors .... so they shouldn't be here.
What's up?
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There's the thought that it could be a black swan.
I looked up the images of black swans in flight, on google images and the bird I've seen doesn't have such a long neck as a swan.
It remains an un-varified mystery for the moment. Quite fun for a dull January. I hope someone else comes up with more evidence / clarification. As my sighting alone is insufficient even for me.
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... or some kind of black goose (?) that's the end of my knowledge.
Anyway, 'rare visitors' is a theme suited to upcoming Springwatch 2010 as we notice various climate changes. I'll leave it to them.
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Exciting spot : Song Thrushes in Hertfordshire!
Just seen 2 Song Thrushes very close by, and clearly defined against the white snow on the roof of the garden shed. Very exciting to see the yellow upper and cream lower breast with spots of brown, and heard their call too.
I used to see these as a child 40 years ago. I haven't noticed them before in my current garden. It pays to sit with your cup of coffee looking out of the window!
I am less enchanted by it's Latin name though; Turdus philomelos, hmmm.
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Heard 1st Woodpecker drumming today: 5th Feb.
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I have heard the song thrush the last two mornings, they sound fantastic. Have also got two female pheasants in the garden (open field ) who have started to feed on the seeds left out under the bird feed, greedy buggers!
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There's not a day goes by when I dont see an abundance of wildlife whilst walking my dog Barney. We are very lucky to live near farmland with woods and a stream, where recently i have seen hundreds of Blue Tits, Bull Finches, Great Tits, Green Finch, Siskin (I think), Coal Tits, Pheasants and two very majestic Herons! My favourite has to be the neon blue of the beautiful King Fisher who I saw only a few days ago. However, whilst driving home tonight a mammal crossed the road in front of the car and i'm not sure what it was. It was in the village heading towards hedgerows and open fields where the stream is. I can only think it was a Pole Cat or a Pine Marten.It was dark with a lighter face and a bushy tail.We live in Derbyshire, only a few miles north of Derby itself. Any ideas?
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Had some Green Finch on the feeder yesterday haven't seen them for a ages, one of my favorite birds along with blue tit,chaffinch,brambling, long tailed tit..... the list goes on.
Only had one female pheasant in the garden today though, wondering where the other one has gone!
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