Wild England: what to see and where to see it in January

17 Dec 2021

Icy vistas herald the start of the New Year. The holidays are over, the days are short and cold, and by some accounts January is the worst month of the year for wildlife spotting. But that couldn’t be further from the truth…

Attracting birds to your garden and outdoor space

Across the UK in January 2021, a million people took part in the Big Garden Birdwatch to count the number of birds in their local area. The reason that the Big Garden Birdwatch takes place in the depths of winter is because it’s a time when birds are desperately seeking three things: food, water and shelter. This makes January the perfect time to welcome nature into your garden.

The first place to start is with feeders and a variety of food. Birds have preferences and you might notice a clear difference in the way that birds behave in your garden vs. your friends’ and neighbours’ gardens. For example, blue tits and great tits generally go for suet whilst finches enjoy nyjer seeds and sunflower hearts. It takes a simple process of elimination to understand what works best in your garden.

Floating a tennis ball in water prevents it from freezing. Credit: @Ponyfizz, Unsplash

Next you want to make sure you provide plenty of water and keep it topped up. Floating a tennis ball in the water is one trick to stop it from freezing over. Finally, get some nest boxes up as these provide protection from the bitter cold and wind. The species you attract will depend on the location, the type of box, and the size of the entrance hole. Sometimes, you may even find several birds packing into one nest box at once for extra warmth. The record number of birds found in one box is 61 wrens!

What to spot in January

Since 1979, when the Big Garden Birdwatch began, the landscape has changed significantly. In the 2021 count, the top birds spotted were house sparrow, blue tit, starling, blackbird, woodpigeon, robin, great tit, goldfinch, magpie and long-tailed tit – a far cry from the song thrushes and dunnocks that made the top 10 in the earliest counts.

An adorable treecreeper scurrying up some bark. Credit: Ben Andrew

But the beauty of birdwatching on your doorstep is that you never really know what you might spot. Amongst some of the more unusual sightings in the previous count were waxwings – a rare winter visitor known for their curious reddish-brown plumage and prominent head crest as well as birds of prey – from red kites to buzzards, and woodpeckers. And you don’t need a garden to enjoy these sights. Local parks, forests and green spaces are home to endless natural curiosities – birds like treecreepers which look like little mice scurrying up trees, as well as incredibly rare and endangered species like willow tits – more often heard than seen.

What is Big Garden Birdwatch?

Big Garden Birdwatch is the world’s largest garden wildlife survey and even attracted a million people in the 2021 count. Taking place in the last weekend of January (28 – 30 January 2022) it sees people across the UK celebrate their love of nature.

Members of the public are asked to spend just one hour during this weekend watching and recording the birds in their garden, balcony, or local park, then send their results to the RSPB. Since its inception in 1979, Big Garden Birdwatch has highlighted the winners and losers in the garden bird world. House sparrows have remained at the top of the Big Garden Birdwatch rankings as the most seen garden bird in the UK for eighteen years running whilst starlings have held onto the top spot for the past two years.

~House sparrows have topped the rankings for 18 years. Credit: Ben Andrew

But although house sparrows and starlings may be the UK’s most sighted birds, a closer look at Big Garden Birdwatch data shows that numbers have in fact dropped dramatically since the Birdwatch began in 1979. House sparrows are down 53 per cent while starlings are down a frightening 80 per cent.

Big Garden Birdwatch events on reserves

Throughout January, you can have the chance to learn more about the nature on your doorstep through events held at RSPB reserves across the country.

East

RSPB Tichwell Marsh, Norfolk – What’s that bird?

RSPB Pagham Harbour, Chichester – Ranger Mick’s Bird Identification Tips / Wildlife Walk: Birds of the Garden and the Marsh

RSPB Medmerry, West Sussex – Wildlife Walk: Magnificent Medmerry

RSPB Dungeness, Kent - Bird identification workshop for beginners & guided walk at RSPB Dungeness

RSPB Minsmere, Suffolk - Birds for beginners

RSPB Flatford Wildlife Garden, Colchester - Build a Bird Box Family Event / Big Garden Bird Watch Trail

North

RSPB Bempton Cliffs, Bridlington – Breakfast Birdwatch / create your own bird feeder

RSPB Burton Mere, Dee Estuary – Get ready for Big Garden Birdwatch / Big Garden Bird Walk / Big Farmland Bird Walk