January is a long and desperate month for us; cold, mostly dark and goes on forever. For birds and other wildlife, it is February, which is just around the corner. Food is scarce and hard to find, the nights are still long, the temperatures low (in the main) and bird’s hormones are kicking in to start their breeding cycle. You may have noticed signs of the hormonal changes; the dawn chorus is getting busier with the early starters singing their songs to attract a partner, such as the great tit with their no-effort-made-on-lyrics “teacher, teacher”.
It’s a difficult balancing act surviving the end of winter and it needs strategies, which are wide and various. Migration to warmer locations with more supplies is an option but that is costly in energy and requires some luck; landing where you expected the resources that suit you and avoiding predation. We benefit from those who arrive from the ‘grimmer further up north’ where food is trapped below snow and ice and lose some of our own to more southerly locations. For instance, a percentage of our goldfinches prefer to over-winter in France.
Not so much a charm; more a mud bath of goldfinches (taken September 17).
Those who stay have to keep themselves clean and preened to ensure the oil they spread from their glands, keeps feathers waterproof and insulated. They fluff and puff up their feathers to trap air, which creates their version of wearing layers and hunker to protect their less feathery faces and legs. Birds do shiver and this also produces heat from their circulation and the muscle movement.
Puffed up female stonechat.
Daytime may be spent in a flock to take advantage of group dynamics for detecting food and many eyes to watch for predators that are just as hungry. Smaller birds may band together in multi-species groups such as tits and goldcrest, which must eat for 90-100% of their day. On site currently there is a small flock of starlings hanging around with the lapwings.
How can anyone not like a totally charming long-tail tit?
Others stash food, such as coal tit, jay and nuthatch and then have to find it again. Desperate blackbirds may fish for minnows. Thrushes claim and defend berried trees and shrubs from others but may be defeated by marauding flocks of fieldfare and redwing. Some defend territories and war with intruders, such as robin, woodpecker and nuthatch.
A rather devilish looking robin near the warren feeders and challenging the resident robin.
Night-time may be a communal roost for shared warmth for such as the long-tailed tit and wren. At night a bird’s temperature deliberately drops by as much as ten degrees (called nocturnal hypothermia) to reduce metabolism and yet despite this still loses up to 10-15% of body weight because fat accumulated during the day is immediately converted into heat energy.
The RSPB’s Big Garden Watch due 27th to 29th January to count the birds you see is also a great opportunity to feed your local birds during these lean times. For the “top 10 bird birding feeding tips this winter” see:
http://ww2.rspb.org.uk/our-work/rspb-news/news/details.aspx?id=387868&utm_campaign=News
And, if you can spare a little grated mild cheese, it will surely make a wren or dunnock’s day.
Recent Sightings:
Along the treeline opposite the main lake lots of the smaller birds continue to forage: goldfinch, treecreeper, bullfinch, reed bunting, dunnock, wren, robin, green and great-spotted woodpeckers. Plus the tits; marsh, willow, great, blue and long-tailed. And joining them recently a flock of about 20 siskin, who have unusual hierarchical flock behaviour: Subordinates forage and then regurgitate to feed the designated dominant males and females. Who knows you may see a case of ‘allofeeding.’ Similar birds are also seen around Lowther lake.
Bowers lake has been busier of late, especially on days when the other water bodies have remained iced, with pochard, tufted duck, great-crested grebe, 50 plus curlew around the edge and a great white egret that comes and goes.
With distinctive kink in neck, the great white egret; sleeping pochard included for scale.
There’s plenty of wildfowl about on the lakes Main, Lemonroyd, Astley and the reedbeds; goosander males and redheads, tufted duck, shoveler, wigeon “whistling for Britain”, teal, gadwall, the odd shelduck and up 19 goldeneye. Among the geese around the site are small numbers of white-fronted, tundra bean and pink-footed (courtesy of Swillington Ings Bird Group’s eagle-eyed spotters).
Male and female goldeneye on Main lake.
At the dragline, kestrel continues to be seen. Other regular birds of prey on site are red kite, sparrowhawk, buzzard, and marsh harrier. A male hen harrier dropped in on Monday 8th January and lurked for the day, making itself visible early morning and very late afternoon.
Four whooper swans spent the day on the Main lake last Monday (15th) and roosted at Fairburn so may remain local with a bit of luck.
The amazing 3-headed whooper on the more amazing sloping lake (or just a rushed shot).
Along the hillside are meadow pipits and up to four roe deer are being seen more frequently there at dusk.
Two of the four roe deer on the hillside (taken December 17).
In and around the reedbeds are dunlin, redshank, lapwing, snipe, water rail, a jack snipe, a water pipit and a lone oystercatcher.
At far left (behind the moorhen); redshank. Some of the cormorants showing breeding plumage; the white patch on their side near base of the wing and the central ‘goalkeeper’ has a stupendous ‘Richard Gere’ look.
But the star of the moment is a very the obliging male kingfisher giving close and long views at the crossroads near the causeway that divides the Main and Lemonroyd lakes. He uses the bulrushes, the recently installed posts, the causeway shrubs and the sluice on Lemonroyd very regularly and at various times in the day.
Male kingfisher looking at his tiny feet? (Females have lower red bill; male’s is all black).
This area is also a good spot for wagtails, grey and pied, water rail in the reedbed and stonechat along the edges of the path.
Plus around the site occasional sightings of mistle thrush, flocks of golden plover and fieldfare.
And finally:
Breaking news! Coots try to take advantage of benefits of a group dynamic but then realise no-one can decide which side of the causeway is best.
Yours, K Sp-8 (18/01/19)
For information:
Astronomy event coming 24th Feb, stay tuned on our Facebook & Twitter for when booking begins
Half term at St Aidan's - Binocular Challenge! See what you can spot: http://ww2.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/events-dates-and-inspiration/events/details.aspx?id=tcm:9-450843
Litter Pick at St Aidan's - 11th Feb http://ww2.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/events-dates-and-inspiration/events/details.aspx?id=tcm:9-448509