The Wet Web
Helen Gazeley looks to the sky for migrants of the feathered variety.
WE’RE a magnet for migrants. In Scotland this autumn, 100,000 were anticipated for the first time – pink-legged geese, that is. Their numbers have been steadily rising, thanks to conservation efforts in Britain and their Arctic breeding grounds. By this time of the year, some of them will have made their way into north-west England and East Anglia.
Of course, they’re not alone. Winter is a great time not only to spot our native birds more easily in leafless woodland, but to make the acquaintance of some of the hundreds of thousands of winter visitors – 30,000 whooper swans from Iceland, 7000 Bewick’s swans from Arctic Russia, 300,000 knot from northern Canada… the list goes on.
Wetlands are some of the most important refuges, celebrated this month with World Wetlands Day on February 2 (www. worldwetlandsday.org) and if you’re on the Lancaster Canal you’re well on your way to one of the most important wetlands in Europe.
The canal skirts Hest Bank on Morecambe Bay, a Special Protection Area which draws half a million birds a year, feeding themselves up for the return to their nesting grounds; then a train from nearby Carnforth to Silverdale will find you at Leighton Moss, the largest reed bed in the North West. The RSPB website offers tempting descriptions of what is being seen this year (http://bit.ly/39FIHgX).
A little local investigation might surprise you at what is right on your doorstep. The Rodley Nature Reserve (www.rodleynaturereserve. org) next to the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, near Leeds, is on a ‘flyway’ for migrating wildfowl and waders, with West Yorkshire offering a number of other promising sites.
Further south, the Watermead Country Park (www.leicscountryparks.org.uk/watermeadenvironment-and-nature) on the River Soar which runs through Leicester, is creating one of the largest reed-bed areas in the Midlands and is a haven for waterbirds.
For birding sites in these areas and in counties around the UK visit Fat Birder (https://fatbirder. com) and for more information on places to find wading birds in winter, visit the Wildlife Trusts website (www.wildlifetrusts.org/ where_to_see_wintering_waders).
It’s not just our waterways and wetlands that attract visitors. Fieldfare arrive from Scandinavia, often forming large flocks on arable land with the equally handsome redwing from Iceland, Russia and Northern Europe. Once you’ve got your eye in, you could consider helping the Woodland Trusts out with their Nature’s Calendar (https:// naturescalendar.woodlandtrust.org.uk). Collecting phenological data on all sorts of flora and fauna, including fungi, amphibians, shrubs and insects, they are asking for sightings of redwing and fieldfare, among quite a few other birds.
In our woodlands you might flush a woodcock arrived from the Continent, or spot the large bluegrey head of a brambling, especially among beech trees. Bramblings often flock together with our native chaffinches and in winter can be seen along the Shroppie, as can flocks of siskins (www.audlem. org/tourism-heritage/wildlife.html).
In fact, winter is a great time to catch up with all sorts of small birds that you might otherwise miss. Species such as goldcrests, great tits, coal tits, long-tailed tits and wrens are more likely to gather together to improve their chances of finding food, spot predators more easily and to huddle through the night for warmth.
If you’re a bit hazy on bird IDs, then the numerous videos on the BTO website (www.bto. org/develop-your-skills/bird-identification) offer very useful information on distinguishing visiting species, including many of those mentioned above.
Do you have a favourite blog or website? Email Helen at helengazeley@aol.com