January 2010

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The start of a new year brought continuation of the severe cold conditions at the end of December. Prolonged snow and ice have a serious effect on wildlife especially many species of birds. There are fears for the populations of the most sensitive and vulnerable such as Dartford and cetti's warblers, wrens and goldcrests and also for those species which feed on worms and larvae which they get from grassland and moist earth.

Some of these birds fly west and south to escape the big freeze. Redwings fly as far south as southern France and Italy or move to our coastal areas where they eat winkles and marine worms. Fortunately this winter has a heavy crop of tree and shrub berries for members of the thrush family - song thrushes, redwings, fieldfares, blackbirds and mistle thrushes. By the first week of January redwings, fieldfares and blackbirds had stripped many hawthorns and hollies of their berries and entered gardens for berries of cotoneaster, pyracantha, berberis and rowan.

Frozen rivers, streams, lakes and reservoirs also have a serious effect on birds and other wildlife dependent on open water and food prey. Especially hard hit are kingfishers and usually in long spells of freeze they move to coastal areas where they can fish creeks and tidelines which escape the ice. Garden bird feed stations are now more vital than ever as is a water supply.

The extremely cold weather in Continental Europe will drive birds such as waxwings westward to Britain in search of berries and fruit, joining the throngs of native birds foraging for food in gardens and the countryside. If you can get out and defy the Siberian chill look for flocks of siskins and redpolls on alder and larch trees feeding on cone seeds. Siskins also come to garden seed and peanut feeders as do goldfinches and greenfinches. Big flocks of fieldfares were in the north Essex orchards in early January feeding on fallen apples. It's a good idea to put out apples in the garden throughout cold spells.

During long cold spells reedbeds provide not only cover but also sources of invertebrate food and seed. Look out for little parties of bearded tits, reed buntings with a possible chance of a bittern. In recent years bitterns have frequentd the reedbeds at Abberton Reservoir.

Mixed flocks of finches and buntings will be roaming in search of seed, especially in coastal areas, and there's a chance too to find small flocks of snow buntings along the beaches and sand spits at Cudmore Grove Country Park, East Mersea; Colne Point; Walton Naze and Brightlingsea plus an occasional shore lark. Great northern divers are being reported offshore at Mersea and Tollesbury and one was at Alton Water reservoir, Tattingstone, in neighbouring Suffolk in first week of January.

There was a harbour porpoise stranded at East Mersea Point on January 3 seen by members of Colchester Local Group of the RSPB during a visit to Cudmore Grove. The porpoise was eventually refloated by a local diver team and was last seen swimming in the river.

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Huge flocks in orchard areas

During and after The Great Freeze big flocks of fieldfares, sometimes numbering thousands, have been feeding on fallen apples in Essex and Suffolk orchards. The berry crops on hedges in the open countrywide have been completely eaten by fieldfares, redwings, blackbirds and song thrushes and this has led to some sizeable invasions by these birds in gardens where there are still some berries of cotoneaster, pyracantha, berberis, rowan and holly.

Last winter a male blackcap was in our garden at West Bergholt from November until February feeding at the bird table and fat balls and squares, sometimes joined by a female. A male has been with us again since first week of January and we have also had regular visits by a flock of long-tailed tits, up to 20 at a time, feeding with blue tits and other birds on the fat containers.

Sawbill ducks on the River Colne and at Abberton

Since early January several goosanders, which like their smaller relatives, the smew, belong to the sawbill group of ducks, have been present along the River Colne at Colchester and even in the lakes in Colchester Castle Park. Parts of Abberton Reservoir were iced over at height of the severe weather but now in open water there are goosanders and some smew.

Some smew are at present at Abberton Reservoir. Pictured above is the drake.

Kingfishers fly from frozen rivers and lakes to the coast where they can fish tideline and creeks.

Bearded tits move around in spells of cold weather. Look for them in local reedbeds.

Waxwings are likely to arrive from Europe in search of berries and fruit.

Bitterns are seen in our area in reedbeds in winter including Abberton Reservoir.

Huge flocks of fieldfares, sometimes thousands strong, are feeding on fallen apples in local orchards.

Goosanders can be seen along the River Colne at Colchester and on the Castle Park lakes. Female top, male bottom.

For the second winter running there has been a male blackcap joining other birds on my garden feeders at West Bergholt.

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