Bird Watch:
More of these charming birds are overwintering here, says Ruth
THANKS to global warming and our milder winters, certain species of migratory birds have taken to residing in our gardens all year, instead of heading south for warmer climes in autumn.
One such bird is the blackcap, a warbler that used to grace these shores in summer only, but that can now be seen and heard all year round, with many coming here from Europe.
Blackcaps are small grey birds that get their name from the male’s distinctive black headfeathers (females wear a chestnut cap).
They prefer woody habitats but will thrive in parks and gardens with plenty of trees and are especially welcome in gardens as they eat caterpillars and other insect pests in summer, moving to bird food and berries in winter. They lay four-five eggs in cup-shaped nests hidden in shrubby bushes and continue to feed their young for two to three weeks after they have fledged.
A blackcap’s song is a sweet, fluting aria, often heard as part of the dawn chorus as spring gets underway, so beautiful that they are sometimes called ‘northern nightingales’.
Research carried out since the 1960s has shown that more blackcaps are choosing to stay in the UK through winter, possibly because of the bounty
we place on our bird tables. with Spain’s full-time blackcap population than the blackcaps that travel from Germany to the UK for the colder months. This has given rise to the theory that a new species of blackcap may be developing, all thanks to the UK’s gardeners and their birdfeeders!
Ruth Hayes
Studies at Frieburg University in Germany have shown that blackcaps migrating south to the Iberian peninsula have more in common genetically