Now that most of the leaves have fallen or soon will be, we are able to see much more clearly into hedges and shrubs, revealing the winter larder of berries. It seems to have been a mixed season with hawthorn and rowan trees in this part of the world having quite a good crop whilst the sloes on blackthorn don't seem that prolific. Many apple trees seem to have done really well which will hopefully keep our wild birds fed through the winter months. How does it look where you are, which berries are abundant and which are conspicuous by their absence? Please let us know by commenting below!
Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
We are still getting lots of queries about the lack of birdlife in gardens, usually a query we get most of in late summer and early autumn, we think this is due to the mild autumn weather. Gardens will get busier when the colder weather arrives, at the moment the wider countryside is still providing plenty of natural food for our feathered friends. However, keep providing food in the garden little and often and you should be able to entice a few of the mobile species like finches and tits into the garden. As the weather does take a turn for the worse, get ready to step up the feeding to help out the starlings, thrushes and more unusual garden visitors like wagtails and goldcrests, they would take grated cheese or mealworms if you are lucky enough to have them pay a visit. The mild autumn has certainly had impacts on our wildlife with wasps still active and mallards with ducklings being around in November!
Keep an eye out for wintering blackcaps and chiffchaffs, these warblers are now a regular occurence over the winter months in the UK, if you have any newcomers to your gardens this winter please report them via Birdtrack and share your observations and pictures with us on the communities site.
Warden Intern at Otmoor.