With the first hint of snow for the winter some of us will be relying on our garden birds for entertainment as much as they will be relying on us for food. However, they are not always the same birds that have been around the garden all year. Each autumn, our resident Blackbirds are boosted in numbers by the arrival of large numbers migrating here – fleeing the colder weather found in northern and eastern Europe. It is thought by some that the migrants have a dark brown or black beak in contrast to the bright yellow of our residents, but this is not always the case. Many migrant Blackbirds have yellow beaks whereas resident males in their first year have dark bills so really we will never know where they came from. Male Blackbirds are amongst our most recognisable species, with their black plumage, yellow bill and yellow ring around the eye. Females and juveniles look similar in shape, but have mottled brown plumage.

Robins have been voted as our favourite bird and with their bright red breasts and trusting nature it is easy to see why. Easy to identify with their red breast, face, throat and cheeks, male and female Robins are identical. They feed on insects and worms usually and will often follow gardeners when they are digging, hoping for an easy meal. They also visit bird tables in the winter where they will take sunflower hearts and mealworms and often sweet stuff like cake and pastry. With patience, they can be taught to take items of food from your hand. However, their friendly nature does not extend to other Robins; both males and females will aggressively defend their territories and this may even result in a fight to the death. In the winter, as with the Blackbird, we see an influx of Robins from the continent although the immigrants are generally found in woodland, rather than fighting for a space in our gardens. They tend to have paler plumage, particularly on the back.
Whilst walking around Thornton Reservoir in the middle of November I was delighted to see a less anticipated migrant – a Long-tailed Duck. These small black and white ducks with their extravagant tail feathers are usually found around the coast in the winter, having migrated here from Scandinavia. They occasionally finish up spending part of the winter on inland waters, with most of the local records coming from Rutland Water. This is the first time I have ever seen this species locally and I think the last record from Thornton was more than ten years ago. I have never seen the appeal of ‘twitching’ (racing around the country to see rare migrants), but it was a treat to see a new species locally.

Birdsong is always a delight and it is noticeable at this time of year how little there is, with most of our walks completed in silence except for the alarm calls of a bird we have disturbed. Blackbirds and Robins are the exception to this and particularly from Christmas-time onwards they will be the species most likely to be heard singing. Both species are also heard through much of the night probably due to the fact that it is much quieter then so their voices can be heard better.