Winter WONDERS

The coldest months of the year have their consolations, including walking on crisp, frosty days, and seeing some species that are otherwise often elusive…

Harsh winter weather, of course, can cause all sorts of bird species to move from their usual haunts in search of food, or shelter, rather like the Kingfishers that Ian Parsons has written about (see page 24).

In the past, cold snaps and heavy snowfalls have seen, for example,

Woodcocks turning up on readers’ patios.

But even in a fairly average winter, or in fairly average winter temperatures, birds are on the move at this time of year, as supplies of natural food start to run low. And that can make some otherwise elusive species easier to see, as well as sometimes giving you the chance to help them out along the way.

So, here are 10 species or broader groups of birds to look out for as the temperatures drop. Funnily enough, as with Ian’s Kingfishers, most of them provide a welcome splash of colour at the gloomiest time of year.

GREY WAGTAIL

Everyone knows that car parks attract Waxwings, but wagtails love them, too. Pied, mainly, but in winter their more colourful cousins also often turn up in them, in smaller numbers, searching out their insect food among the puddles. Garden patios and flat roofs also attract them, so

keep an eye out.

JAY

Jays are rather schizophrenic birds – for large parts of the year they’re nowhere to be seen, but for a few short periods they can seem to be everywhere. That includes autumn, when they’re busy storing acorns, but it can also include now – if easily accessible food is in short supply, they’ll start to revisit their caches and make use of them.

GOLDCREST

Our tiniest bird is invisible for much of the time, even though it’s more widespread and numerous than you might think, as it remains in thick cover. Cold snaps can mean it will roam further in search of food, though, including entering gardens, usually by joining mixed flocks of tits (Great, Blue Coal and Long-tailed). Treecreepers often tag along, too.

WINTER THRUSHES

While Fieldfares and Redwings spend most of their time out in the country, feeding along hedgerows or in pastures, a cold snap can send them (and especially Redwings) into gardens, where they’ll look for any remaining berries such as Rowan. But they’ll also happily eat windfall fruit, or any leftover apples and pears you can put out for them.

CHIFFCHAFF

Increasing numbers of Chiffchaffs spend the winter in the UK anyway, as a result of our warming climate. Cold weather will tend to concentrate them even more heavily at sewage works (all that decomposing matter creates heat, and so is home to insects), or around farms (chicken sheds are a favourite). And keep an eye out for Siberian Chiffchaffs among them.

RAPTORS

Predators follow prey, so winter sees, for example, Peregrines and Merlins heading for coastal marshes to hunt wader/wildfowl concentrations and Meadow Pipit/Sky Lark flocks respectively. But large amounts of prey in small areas anywhere can bring a sudden glut of hunters – Kestrels, Buzzards, Barn Owls and even Hen Harriers will descend on vole-rich meadows, for example (with Kestrels prone to robbing the owls), while Sparrowhawks are attracted to any flocks of small birds.

SCARCER SMALL BIRDS

Wintry weather can result in the likes of Siskin and Lesser Redpoll turning up on your garden feeders – make sure they’re well stocked with niger seeds if you want them to keep coming back. But just about any of the less usual suspects are more likely to appear around now. Bullfinches, nearly always in pairs, for example, or even Reed Buntings and Yellowhammers, if you live close to open country.

WATER RAIL

Another ultra-secretive species – for much of the year you only know they’re there because of their pig-like squealing. But, if reedbeds ice over, they can emerge into the open, and you can see what handsome birds they are. One turned up on a Leeds city centre windowsill a few weeks ago, and we’ve seen them pecking around under feeders (and spearing an unfortunate rat) in the past. Bitterns are another reedbed species which a cold snap can suddenly render much more visible.

GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER

We can get blasé about them, because they’ve become more common and widespread, and for some birders they’re less welcome visitors to the feeders because of their rather bullying habits, but just look at them! They’re unmistakable, thanks to their bold markings and size (Lesser Spots are sparrow-sized), and thoroughly photogenic – a nut feeder should allow you to get great pics.

WILDFOWL

Wildfowl is, of course, one of the glories of the British winter, but it doesn’t have to be all about huge flocks of geese and swans. In bad weather, Goosanders can pop up on town centre rivers or park ponds – the pinkish blush on the body of the males means that they can seem to glow from within on a cold, murky, grey day.