LITTLE GREEN SPACE ~ BY PENNY BUNTING
- peakadvertiser
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
In winter, the UK becomes home to hundreds of thousands of visiting birds. Travelling from northern areas such as Iceland, Scandinavia and northern Russia, many species undertake long and gruelling journeys to the UK in search of food and a warmer climate.
Wrapping up in warm clothes and heading out to spot these birds is a lovely way to spend a winter afternoon. Take a walk in the Peak District’s woodlands, moors or dales – and look out for winter visitors along the way.
Here are a few species you might see.
Goldcrest
As the UK’s smallest bird – weighing little more than a 20p piece – the daunting journey made by the tiny goldcrest can seem against the odds. But each year our resident population of goldcrests is joined by many others, travelling hundreds of miles across the North Sea from Scandinavia.
Goldcrests have dull, greyish-green plumage, but are easy to recognise thanks to the bright stripes of orange-yellow and black across their heads. Look out for them in parks, and mature woodland – especially where there are conifer trees.
Goldcrests eat insects, so growing plenty of nectar-rich plants, and boosting insect populations in your garden by avoiding the use of pesticides and other chemicals, can help attract goldcrests to your garden.
Redwings and fieldfares
These thrushes arrive in the UK in search of berries and orchard fruits. They tend to gather in noisy flocks, in woodland or along hedgerows – or anywhere there are plenty of berry-bearing trees.
Fieldfares look a little like a mistle thrush, with brown wings and a speckled belly – but they are larger, and have a grey head and back. Redwings are smaller than fieldfares and other thrushes, and have a rosy patch just beneath the wing. Redwings also have a distinctive pale stripe running from the beak across the top of the eye.
You may also be able to tell redwings and fieldfares apart by their calls. Fieldfares have a loud ‘chack-chack’ call which sounds like a chuckle; the redwing’s call is a series of high squeaks.
Redwings and fieldfares favour the countryside for feeding – but if the weather is very cold, they may visit gardens. Growing trees that produce the food they love – hawthorn, holly, rowan and apples – is one way to tempt them.
Starlings
Although starlings are resident in the UK year-round, their numbers swell between November and February, as many more birds migrate here from Scandinavia. Their roosting habits create one of nature’s most exciting winter spectacles, the starling murmuration.
Seen just before dusk, a murmuration is formed of thousands of birds swooping and diving en masse, creating breathtaking shapes in the sky.
The reason for this behaviour remains unclear – but there’s no doubt that, in part, a murmuration consisting of a large number of birds helps deter predators. Roosting together also provides safety and warmth.
A murmuration of starlings could crop up anywhere, and like any wildlife sightings, seeing one is never guaranteed. In previous years, the spectacle has been seen at Cavendish Mill, near Stoney Middleton, where flocks of starlings have been known to roost in the reed beds. And large groups of starlings are often spotted at Carsington Water – check out the Carsington Bird Club website at www.cars ingtonbirdclub.co.uk for bird sightings at the reservoir.
Waxwings
Waxwings aren’t a common sight in Derbyshire – they’re usually only regular winter visitors to the far north of the country, in places like Orkney, or along the east coast. But when the weather is particularly harsh, waxwings may travel further south and west in search of food – they particularly enjoy hawthorn berries.
Waxwings breed in Scandinavia and Russia, only visiting the UK when the food sources in their home countries are depleted.
These distinctive-looking birds have sleek pink-grey plumage, a black face, and black wings and tail streaked with white and yellow. The species gets its name from the bright red waxy tip on its wing. A waxwing is a little smaller than a starling, and has a crest of feathers on top of its head.
If we have a cold winter this year, look out for waxwings along hedgerows. A couple of years ago they were spotted in large numbers along the Monsal Trail – but they could show up anywhere there’s a plentiful supply of berries.
Where to spot birds and other wildlife
One of the best ways to see resident and visiting birds is to visit an RSPB nature reserve. These are specially managed and protected places that provide vital habitats for all sorts of wildlife.
In Derbyshire, the Eastern and Burbage Moors nature reserve is protected through a partnership between The National Trust and RSPB. This mosaic of different habitats encompasses 14 square miles of the Peak District National Park, and offers spectacular scenery and an abundance of wildlife.
A network of bridlepaths and footpaths makes it easy to explore the Eastern and Burbage Moors on foot or by bike. The area is a designated Special Protection Area, with many bird species to look out for. The number of skylarks here has tripled since the partnership took over management of the land in 2010, and whinchat numbers have doubled – two fantastic success stories that demonstrate how conservation and rewilding can boost biodiversity.
The Eastern Moors is one of the few places in the UK where ring ouzels can be found – a rare bird with Red List conservation status, recognisable by its jet-black plumage and distinctive white throat.
Other bird species to spot here are short eared owl, golden plover and curlew. In winter, flocks of redwings and fieldfares can be seen, feeding on hawthorn berries.
Alongside birds, the Eastern Moors is also home to other remarkable wildlife, including a resident population of red deer. In summer, adders and lizards can sometimes be seen sunning themselves on rocks at the base of Curbar and Froggatt edges.
The area is also rich in history and heritage, including a Bronze Age barrow on Curbar Edge and a stone circle on Froggatt Edge.
For more information about the Eastern Moors, visit www.visit-eastern-moors.org.uk/ . And to find out more about RSPB nature reserves across the UK, visit www.rspb.org.uk/days-out/reserves
Penny Bunting
