February is likely to be the coldest month of the year, but if we get a calm, sunny day then a brisk walk can be a perfect tonic. During a recent stroll through the countryside around Thurlaston we were rewarded with sightings of 25 species of bird, as well as a solitary hare. Most of the birds were those commonly seen in our garden and the surrounding area, although one field did contain five herons, far from the nearest water.
The only seasonal migrants seen were the winter thrushes, fieldfares and redwings, that arrive here from the continent in the autumn and remain with us until April. Although similar to our resident thrushes, the fieldfare can be easily recognised by its grey head. The bird shown here was one of a flock of about twenty that descended on our back garden one snowy day a few years ago to help clear up our fallen apples.
Redwings are also typical thrushes, but are smaller than either of our resident species, the mistle thrush and song thrush. The redwing has a reddish flank and a very distinctive cream streak above the eye. Although they are present in similar numbers to the fieldfare, they are less conspicuous and only rarely seen in gardens.
A trip to any of our local waterways can be rewarding as you may see a greater variety of water birds than you would in the summer, with as many as 5 million wildfowl migrating to the UK in winter to take advantage of our relatively mild weather. Several species of duck can be seen including widgeon, teal, gadwall and shoveller in addition to the usual mallard. Gulls, mostly black- headed with occasional common gulls, are present on most bodies of water, as are the ubiquitous moorhens and coots. If you happen to see a coot out on the ice on a winter’s day, take a look at those incredible feet!
Closer to home, remember to make some water available to your garden birds in the cold weather. All birds require fresh water to drink and also for bathing to keep their feathers in good condition so if you have a bird bath, try to keep it ice-free during the winter. If it freezes you can use warm water to melt the ice sufficiently to remove it and replace it with fresh tapwater. Although the inhabitants of a wildlife pond will generally survive a lengthy period with the surface frozen, it can be a good idea to keep an ice-free area at the edge so that the birds have access to fresh water. You can do this by melting a hole in the ice and then leaving a floating object, such as a tennis ball, in the resulting hole – this will delay the hole from refreezing. In ponds that contain fish, many people choose to keep large areas of the pond surface open to avoid the build-up of waste products; it is generally advised not to break the ice with a blunt instrument (such as a hammer) as this may leave your precious fish with a serious headache.
February is likely to be the coldest month of the year, but if we get a calm, sunny day then a brisk walk can be a perfect tonic. During a recent stroll through the countryside around Thurlaston we were rewarded with sightings of 25 species of bird, as well as a solitary hare. Most of the birds were those commonly seen in our garden and the surrounding area, although one field did contain five herons, far from the nearest water.
The only seasonal migrants seen were the winter thrushes, fieldfares and redwings, that arrive here from the continent in the autumn and remain with us until April. Although similar to our resident thrushes, the fieldfare can be easily recognised by its grey head. The bird shown here was one of a flock of about twenty that descended on our back garden one snowy day a few years ago to help clear up our fallen apples.
Redwings are also typical thrushes, but are smaller than either of our resident species, the mistle thrush and song thrush. The redwing has a reddish flank and a very distinctive cream streak above the eye. Although they are present in similar numbers to the fieldfare, they are less conspicuous and only rarely seen in gardens.
A trip to any of our local waterways can be rewarding as you may see a greater variety of water birds than you would in the summer, with as many as 5 million wildfowl migrating to the UK in winter to take advantage of our relatively mild weather. Several species of duck can be seen including widgeon, teal, gadwall and shoveller in addition to the usual mallard. Gulls, mostly black- headed with occasional common gulls, are present on most bodies of water, as are the ubiquitous moorhens and coots. If you happen to see a coot out on the ice on a winter’s day, take a look at those incredible feet!
Closer to home, remember to make some water available to your garden birds in the cold weather. All birds require fresh water to drink and also for bathing to keep their feathers in good condition so if you have a bird bath, try to keep it ice-free during the winter. If it freezes you can use warm water to melt the ice sufficiently to remove it and replace it with fresh tapwater. Although the inhabitants of a wildlife pond will generally survive a lengthy period with the surface frozen, it can be a good idea to keep an ice-free area at the edge so that the birds have access to fresh water. You can do this by melting a hole in the ice and then leaving a floating object, such as a tennis ball, in the resulting hole – this will delay the hole from refreezing. In ponds that contain fish, many people choose to keep large areas of the pond surface open to avoid the build-up of waste products; it is generally advised not to break the ice with a blunt instrument (such as a hammer) as this may leave your precious fish with a serious headache.