Everywhere is white, frozen, cold and wet, it may look pretty but these conditions are extremely tough on wildlife. Finding food becomes more difficult and surviving each night becomes uncertain. Small mammals are hidden in tunnels under the snow, keeping warm under ground, making it difficult for the raptors to find them, meaning they would need to rely on others food sources which may also be scarce. Large mammals will also be struggling to find food, having to dig through the snow and with a lack of camouflage against the white snow.
A lot of the water on the reserve is frozen, resulting in a lack of wildfowl and the areas which are not frozen have large numbers on them. The food which the waders and wildfowl rely on is either under a layer of snow in frozen ground or frozen in the water. The majority of these birds have moved off in order to find the food they need to survive. The hedgerow species are also struggling with everything frozen, needing to search over a larger area to find food, becoming more confiding to us. I counted 7 Bullfinch along then path between the car park and the feeders at the end of last week. We have been keeping the feeders topped up and made sure more seed has been spread on the ground to help during these tough times. We have also put apples on and around the feeders to help the winter thrushes survive but this will also encourage them to come closer to us. A Waxwing may even turn up!
The Big Garden Birdwatch is this weekend so I hope you are feeding your birds, not only to help them during these harsh days and nights but to keep them coming back over the weekend. You never know something unusual may turn up.
Out on the reserve yesterday was quiet, but a few birds still put in appearances, including the female Hen Harrier, Water Rail, several duck species and a couple of Treecreepers.
The visitor trail Friday morning!