Winter wildlife tips

Winter wildlife in the UK can be just as magical and spectacular as in the warmer seasons.

As winter arrives much of our wildlife retreats into the shadows to hunker down and hide from the worst of the cold weather. Don't let this put you off though, as chilly weather brings some species out into the open as much as it forces others to hide away. There are still numerous wildlife sights and spectacles to see and things that you can do to attract and assist wildlife near you.

1. Tune into the sounds of winter

The air is still, a frost lies across the foggy fields and there's a crisp blue sky, but the winter scene is incomplete without nature's noises.

While winter is a time of hunkering down for many species, it's also mating season for others. Vocal communication is vital for many bird and mammal species seeking to attract a mate.

A most iconic sound of the season is that of screaming foxes in the night. These calls let other individuals know of their whereabouts, helping them to find a mate or deter intruding competition. Urban foxes can be seen and heard in most towns and cities and their screams can be haunting to those not in the know.

Tawny owls call through winter to attract a mate. Image © Mark Bridger

Tawny owls pair up in winter and the iconic "twit twoo" we hear is actually commonly a combination of calls from the courting male and female. Listen out for tawnys at dusk and through the night in woodlands around farmland. They often perch in large deciduous trees.

Watch Autumnwatch's Chris and Kate talking to tawnys.

Also worth a winter eavesdrop are whistling wigeon, honking whooper swans, screeching snipe and the lovely lapwing peewit.

Watch: Simon King tracking animals in the snow for Snow Watch 2010

2. Read the signs of the season

The arrival of snow is one of the most thrilling winter spectacles, doubly so for keen wildlife watchers. Get up early and investigate the latest blanket of snow for a telltale of the previous night's visitors.
Download our guide to animal tracks to identify your visitors [PDF].

Throughout the autumn some animals have been hoarding food. Look out for nibbled nuts in winter as these hoards are raided (not always by their owner!).

Squirrels, jays, nuthatches and coal tits are some of our busiest hoarders. See if you can tell who's been nibbling by using this dormouse download from the PTES.
Report your nibbled nut findings to the PTES to help them with their Great Nut Hunt.

As the rut ends, deer drop their antlers in winter. Keep an eye out for these but don't take them away as deer gnaw on them to try to recover calcium.

3. Observe our owls

Barn owls are forced to hunt on clear days as they lack waterproof feathers.
Image © Pete Walkden

Winter is a great time to see our owls as they struggle to survive in the cold. It can be especially hard for them when it snows as the small mammals they feed on become even harder to find.

Barn owls suffer particularly badly in the winter. They don't have waterproofing in their feathers and so don't fly in the rain and wind also poses a problem as they rely heavily on their hearing for hunting. Prolonged rainfall can be deadly to a hungry barn owl.

They are therefore forced to hunt on clear days during ongoing bad weather. So get out on crisp winter days after the rain has stopped to spot them over fields and moors.

According to some conservationists three quarters of British barn owls live in man-made nestboxes. Put up a barn owl nest box if you know they are in your area.

Male mandarin ducks are a colourful visitor to any pond.
Image © Nigel TheCoffeeNut

4. Check out the season's winter wear

It's mating season for ducks through the colder months. They're busy showing off their best plumage so nip down to your local pond, lake, wetland or estuary and have an ogle at our dapper ducks.

The RSPB has info on the best places to see mandarin, red-breasted merganser, shoveller, wigeon, teal, pochard,and goldeneye.

In winter the moors of Scotland turn from heathery brown to snowy white and the local wildlife have to put on their best winter wear to keep camouflaged.

Watch: The plight of the mountain hare whose coat isn't always in season, from Autumnatch 2009

Mountain hare, ptarmigan and stoats all change into their ermine coats. Visit the Scottish highlands, namely in the Cairngorms to spot these ermine wonders. The Isle of Man and the Peak District also have small populations of mountain hare which moult from brown to white, but the hares of Northern Ireland don't change their coats in the winter.

5. Marvel at murmurations and try to fathom a flock

Many birds flock together through winter for protection, increased foraging success, and for warmth. Mixed tit flocks can be seen in your garden and in any woodland twittering away in the trees.

Spectacular starling murmurations can be seen across the south. Image © Sharon Jones-Williams

Roosting birds are seen in greater magnitudes with starlings flocking in their thousands before roosting. Our guide to British starling murmurations lists some of the best places see the starling spectacle.

It's not just starlings that roost in great numbers. Pied wagtails will gather in large roosts in towns and around man-made structures, wrens have been known to bundle into nestboxes (with a record 61 wrens found in one box), and hen and marsh harriers gather in smaller numbers around roosts in the east such as Blacktoft Sands in Yorkshire, Strumpshaw Fen in Norfolk and on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent.

6. Appreciate trees

Tree silhouettes are laid bare in the winter. Image © David Rees

As the cold weather arrives our deciduous trees are laid bare, making it the best time of year to really appreciate the silhouettes of our woodlands.

If you think you knew your common woodland trees try identifying them now their leaves are gone. Check out the Woodland Trust tree silhouette downloads. Old nests and drays will also be visible so look out for the tell-tale twig bunches of rookeries in tall trees.

The Woodland trust are creating a map of ancient trees and want to know about ancient trees near you.

7. Pile on the fat

Our feeders can be vital food sources to birds in winter. Image © Christopher Hoyle

Supplementary feeding is a contentious issue as many people are rightly concerned about animals becoming dependent on handouts. Both the RSPB and BTO advise feeding your garden birds through the winter months as they will be struggling to find food.

The key is to avoid providing too much food and it's best to try to encourage natural foods for wildlife in your garden. Our bird feeding guide and guide to feeding badgers have loads of information and advice.

Be sure to provide water too as this is almost as important as food through winter. Birds and mammals will appreciate your efforts as their usual sources freeze over. Feeder hygiene is also important so please pay special attention to your feeders. Read the RSPB's advice on feeder hygiene and vital precautions.

8. Visit the visitors

Migrating geese. Image © Nigel Pye

Our birds will be making their way down to lowlands around estuaries and lochs to find food and shelter in the cold months ahead. Millions of migrants will be joining them across the UK so these places are well worth a visit as their usual resident numbers are given a massive boost.

Our guide to migration hotspots and advice on where to see migrating geese have loads of information on where to go to visit the visitors.

Check out the RSPB's guide to wader roosts to find out what species you can see and where at RSPB sites around the UK.

Have a wild winter and let us know about your sights by dropping in on the BBC Nature Winter Watch Flickr group.