Goldcrest boost after cold spell

A cold spell in late winter this year had birds flocking to garden feeders, including higher counts of Britain’s smallest bird, the goldcrest, according to the British Trust for Ornithology’s garden bird feeding survey.

Overall, the season was generally mild and relatively quiet on such feeders, but during the cold snap in late January and early February more birds made use of the extra food.

The tiny goldcrests took particular advantage of feeders – sightings of them in gardens in February were 35 per cent higher than the average for the previous five years.

Goldcrests are particularly small, birds weighing a mere 5-6g, and their numbers are severely affected by low winter temperatures.

The predominantly mild winter weather of recent years might therefore have helped boost their numbers in the UK.

Samantha Herbert