Ten wild birds to spot in your garden this winter
View All BlogsAs the nights draw in and the weather grows colder you may notice a distinct change to the balance of birds visiting your garden.
The Robin is quintessential as a feature of British Christmas cards and decorations and indeed is often present year round in gardens. Their familiarity with humans has undoubtedly helped them through some of the harshest winter conditions when food and water have been provided for them and they’ve been among the first to brave the bird table once the provider’s back has been turned! They may not be the same birds that you’ve seen through the summer months though, as even these small songsters have been recorded moving south in winter and the individual that has frequented your patch throughout the warmer days may now be in another garden on the continent, replaced temporarily by one from further north.
Blackbirds are another familiar species which we often think of as resident but again, some British birds migrate further south and regardless of whether they do, their numbers are often bolstered by influxes from Scandinavia and the Baltics.
Of course, Blackbirds aren’t the only birds that come in numbers from across the North Sea. The most common are Fieldfares and Redwings. Fieldfares are the larger of these two Thrush species, just a bit bigger than a Blackbird, with grey heads and lovely orange colouring around the throat and breast. If you see them in flight, their underwing is white.
Redwings are smaller, more brown with a distinctive creamy eye stripe and a red underwing in flight as their name suggests. Both of these species like to travel in groups and feed on berries and hedgerow fruit, especially Hawthorn. The Fieldfare has a distinctive chattering call while the Redwing can often be heard migrating on a clear night, they utter contact calls so as not to lose each other in the dark that sound like a “Tsseep”.
Another migrant that you might be lucky enough to have in your garden is the Waxwing which is similar in size to a Starling but has a pinkish-grey plumage, a striking crest and bright yellow tip to the tail. Less easy to see are the red waxy-looking tips to some of the wing feathers which gave this bird its common name. These beautiful birds are most fond of Rowan and Hawthorn berries but will also eat Cotoneaster and Rosehips.
Bramblings are one of the smaller winter migrants to British shores. They are similar in size to the Chaffinches to which they are related and will often form mixed flocks. They have a brown and grey head, orange breast and white belly. They are seed eaters and particularly favour Beech mast.
In recent years, a summer migrant has been notable in the winter months for hanging around our gardens. The Blackcap is becoming a year round visitor to Britain with the warmer winters that we’ve been experiencing. They primarily feed on insects and berries.
It isn’t just migrant birds that we should be keeping an eye out for of course, there are plenty of resident species that we are more likely to see in our garden spaces in the winter months too. Long-tailed Tits often come into garden spaces more regularly in the colder months, perhaps aware that the feeders we put out for them can provide additional sustenance for their large family groups.
Goldfinches come to seed feeders more often now that their natural food sources are harder to come by, and if you’re in a part of the country where Reed Buntings are common in the wider countryside, then you may find that they too visit your garden in the winter months.
So while you might prefer to curl up indoors and watch the weather with a warm cuppa, spare a thought for the birds in your garden. Top up your feeders, or invest in some berry producing plants and you can sit back and watch the birds at the same time!