Birdwatcher814
Bird watcher
What does everybody else do during winter, slow the birdwatching down a bit or just keep going out as usual even when bird numbers are way low this time of year?
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Winter birding (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Birdwatcher814
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Farnboro John
Well-known member
Some of the best birding is in winter: clear cold days with big flocks of wildfowl and waders, wintering raptors and of course visiting small birds like Snow Buntings and Shorlarks. And short days mean back in time for tea or the pub!
John
John
puff the magic dragon
Active member
I go out twice a day weather permitting walking my collie, winter does make the birds easier to see as I predominately walk in woodlands or by a disused overgrown and in places leaking canal. I enjoy winter as much as summer even though bird numbers where I live are lower than summer I still find it very enjoyable. Sometimes visiting waterfowl is seen on the canal which is often a nice surprise.
Of course, it does depend where in the world you are. Winter birding here in Lithuania becomes far less diverse than summer, as almost everything has migrated out (as well as the traditional birds we often think of as migrants, virtually everything else has gone too - all robins, dunnocks, wrens, larks, starlings, etc, etc, most thrushes, finches, buntings, etc.)
Feeding station becomes my main focus - species diversity low (less than 15 species a day usually), sheer number of individuals very high, quality high: can be seven species of woodpeckers, occasionally Pygmy Owl, etc. Do all my ringing in winter at this feeding station, never ring in summer.
A few watercourses around the country, if not totally frozen, can be good - one key site sometimes thousands of Goldeneye et al, common White-tailed Eagles, etc
Everywhere else pretty much effectively devoid of birds.
Feeding station becomes my main focus - species diversity low (less than 15 species a day usually), sheer number of individuals very high, quality high: can be seven species of woodpeckers, occasionally Pygmy Owl, etc. Do all my ringing in winter at this feeding station, never ring in summer.
A few watercourses around the country, if not totally frozen, can be good - one key site sometimes thousands of Goldeneye et al, common White-tailed Eagles, etc
Everywhere else pretty much effectively devoid of birds.
Frank van Drogen
Not so important
Though we get to have a bit more general diversity compared to Jos, I love the feeders in winter. (There, I am sure Jos sees more burds though!!)
It's fun to see the antics, the dynamics and interactions.
More Great Tits than you probably 🙂
(depending on the winter, can be 250-450 Great Tits at my feeders)
100-150 Blue Tits, 15-20 Marsh Tits, 5 +/- Willow Tits, occasional Coal Tits.
puff the magic dragon
Active member
I enjoy the antics of our local Sparrows and Blue/Great Tits at our feeder, some of the flying is a bit clumsy and others very skillful, hours of wonderful pleasure just outside my window. Plus the odd visit from our friendly squirrel
lockbreeze926
Well-known member
How much food do you go through with those numbers?
Q
Too much 🙂
Actually have three feeding areas, each slightly separated. First is inside woodland, next is on the woodland/meadow edge about 150 metres from the first. Third is by a small clump of trees in otherwise open meadow, this is almost a kilometre from the other two.
A lot of movement of birds between the three sites, but Marsh and Willow Tits never cross to the open meadow feeders, nor do several of the woodpecker species.
Peanuts - just bought winter supply, 200 kg, should last all winter.
Grain - maybe 120 kg a month, but most eaten by mammals (Wild Boar, Roe Deer, Badger), did attract a flock of 120 Yellowhammers all last winter.
Fatballs & sunflower seeds - quite a lot 🙂
Too much 🙂
Actually have three feeding areas, each slightly separated. First is inside woodland, next is on the woodland/meadow edge about 150 metres from the first. Third is by a small clump of trees in otherwise open meadow, this is almost a kilometre from the other two.
A lot of movement of birds between the three sites, but Marsh and Willow Tits never cross to the open meadow feeders, nor do several of the woodpecker species.
Peanuts - just bought winter supply, 200 kg, should last all winter.
Grain - maybe 120 kg a month, but most eaten by mammals (Wild Boar, Roe Deer, Badger), did attract a flock of 120 Yellowhammers all last winter.
Fatballs & sunflower seeds - quite a lot 🙂
earlytorise
Well-known member
When I went to the UK for my undergraduate degree, I had a hard time dealing with cold winters.
I braved them more during my first year, out of initial enthusiasm to get those necessary ticks (e.g. a memorable trudge through a long country road to twitch hawfinches) - incidentally that was the same winter that had The Beast From The East -
but by my third year the cold became a downer. I remember a very kind chap who guided me around the Norfolk coast because I haven't got a car. When we arrived at the geese flock, I just wanted to sit in the car until he found the bean goose on his scope, nip out for a look, then go straight back into hiding. Such were the freezing winds.
I braved them more during my first year, out of initial enthusiasm to get those necessary ticks (e.g. a memorable trudge through a long country road to twitch hawfinches) - incidentally that was the same winter that had The Beast From The East -
but by my third year the cold became a downer. I remember a very kind chap who guided me around the Norfolk coast because I haven't got a car. When we arrived at the geese flock, I just wanted to sit in the car until he found the bean goose on his scope, nip out for a look, then go straight back into hiding. Such were the freezing winds.
Although it sometimes can feel to be quiet in woodlands I do enjoy watching wading birds more during winter but I have had good winter birding. I tend not to go out if it’s too snowy or pavements are icy.
Don't come and visit Lithuania in winter
We are the beast from the east that sent that weather 😅
Farnboro John
Well-known member
A trip to Whiteford Point in the Winter is one of my birding highlights of the year- Brents, Eider, Mergansers, Grey Plovers, Divers, Birds of Prey etc. etc.
KenM
Well-known member
I suspect he needs to access the pavements, in order to bird the local parks etc?
Pavements outside my house can be bad and my local patch which is a woodland can be bad I don’t drive so can be a problem
