On the Wild Side with Professor Ian Rotherham: Winter birds in the garden

Cold, snowy weather pushes birds, large and small, to the wildlife garden feeders. Blue tits, coal tits, and great tits suddenly scramble with greenfinches, chaffinches, and goldfinches for sunflower hearts and peanuts. Fat-balls and suet dumplings prove irresistible to magpies, parakeets, great spotted woodpeckers, and even carrion crows, the latter preferring to scavenge fallen scraps from the ground beneath the feeders.

Sheer size makes the hanging feeders almost impossible, although the crow’s smaller cousins, jackdaws and jays seem to cope. Even with plenty of feeders dispersed throughout the garden, squabbles still break-out, with some being smaller birds nudged out by bigger species.

Other disputes are between individuals of the same types simply squeezing onto or around favoured feeder and in some cases, you have to watch closely as greenfinches or blue tits perhaps peck, kick, or barge their kin out of the way. Particularly aggressive birds when feeding groups assemble are the male blackbirds and robins, which being highly territorial take a dim view of intrusions by other robins or even dunnocks.

In recent weeks there has been an influx of European migrant blackbirds into the country and whereas previously there was just one resident pair, there are now several males and a few females too. These splendidly marked males with jet-black plumage and bright yellow bills and eye-rings, seem to get along reasonably peacefully, whereas the local birds are less welcoming. Once the migrants return home of course, their resident aggressive will once more come to the fore; it is very deep-seated.

Mistle thrushes also visit and in cold weather they, and visiting fieldfares from Scandinavia, can be territorial around their favoured fruit-tree or berry-bush which they will defend against all comers. The wrens on the other hand simply keep their heads down and flit around low vegetation in search of vital titbits, to provide essential energy for overnight survival.

Several species not especially adapted to feeding on hanging feeders are learning the trade. Some do surprisingly well, robins, magpies, and chaffinches flying up to fat-balls, peanut holders, and sunflower heart dispensers and hovering!

Professor Ian D. Rotherham, researcher, writer & broadcaster on wildlife & environmental issues, is contactable on [email protected] and you can follow Ian’s blog and his Twitter account @IanThewildside .