Ed Parnell, Norfolk Wildlife Trust
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| House sparrow by Liz Dack |
The results of various garden bird surveys highlight the
birds we should all be seeing. But reading these lists can be disheartening –
in the unpredictable world of birds it's dangerous to assume that the most
commonly-recorded visitors will occur to order in everyone's garden. For
example, in almost eight years living at my current Norfolk home (a semi-rural,
edge of town setting) I have only seen a House Sparrow in my garden once – a
fleeting event which caused great excitement despite the fact that the species
can commonly be encountered a five minute walk away. Yet, during the same
period a number of other species that many people would love to record on their
properties have dropped in regularly to my tiny patch of lawn and its bordering
jumble of overgrown willows. These birds – like the Green Woodpeckers that can
regularly be seen hopping around – are always a joy, but that solitary sparrow
caused my heart to race just that little bit faster. And that, I suppose, is
one of the joys of watching for birds out of our kitchen windows; context is
everything, and nothing is entirely predictable.
With that in mind, let's look at some of the scarcer
candidates that might just be visiting your garden over the next few months. I
don't mean the ultra rare – birds like the White-crowned Sparrow, a lost soul
from North America that frequented a small strip of gravel driveway at Cley
next the Sea in north Norfolk a few years back. No, I mean those species that
can reasonably be expected to grace the average garden every now and then –
depending of course on where you live, what trees and plants are in your
garden, and above all sheer chance and luck.
The main contenders
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| Gold finch by Nick Appleton |
Among the Chaffinches and Greenfinches that will visit most
of our feeders this winter, there are a few other members of this delightful family
liable to put in an appearance. Perhaps the most frequent to expect is the
Goldfinch, now a top 10 visitor to many gardens, lured in by the promise of
nyger seed and sunflower hearts. However commonplace this little finch becomes
though, it should never be taken for granted – not with that stunning scarlet
face and the patch of pure sunlight in its wing.
Other winter finches include the Brambling – the
Scandinavian and central European cousin of the Chaffinch (think of a Chaffinch
repainted in Autumnal orange shades); or the Siskin, a miniature Greenfinch
with added yellows and blacks, a real scarcity for most gardens, unfortunately,
but in some years and in some parts of the country (such as the southeast) a
top 20 bird. Neither of these have quite made it into my own garden, though the
incomparable bullfinch is always welcome in spring, even when it does feast on
apple blossom. Occasionally it puts in a winter appearance too when times are
tough; almost always in pairs: the vivid rouge male followed closely to the
feeder by the drabber female.
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| Marsh tit by Bob Carpenter |
Other common visitors are Blue and Great Tits, two species
with stunning plumages better suited to a tropical rainforest, a fact it's easy
to forget given their familiarity. Less frequent is the Coal Tit, though most
people (particularly those with conifers in close proximity to their garden)
will manage to attract in this miniscule black-capped gem with a little
persistence (and a lot of seed). More unusual still is the Marsh Tit, slightly
larger and plainer than the Coal Tit and lacking its white central crown
stripe. Its near-identical
relative, the Willow Tit, is a theoretical possibility depending on geography,
but Willow Tits are declining at an alarming rate across the country, making
Marsh Tit the default identification choice (to be really sure listen out for
the Marsh Tit's double-barrelled 'pitchou' call, rather than the buzzing
scolding of the Willow – good luck with getting the birds to call when you want
them to though).
What else could drop in? Well the list is long and varied...
Green Woodpeckers, as mentioned earlier (Bagpuss's Professor Yaffle) are an
increasingly common garden visitor, as of course are Great Spotteds – though
the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, the sparrow-sized equivalent of the Great, is
another species suffering a worrying nationwide decline and a very unlikely
garden visitor to all but a privileged few...
10 more garden greats
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| Goldcrest, by Mali Halls |
Goldcrest – the
UK's smallest bird. Easily overlooked but always possible, particularly where
conifers are present.
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| Treecreeper by Liz Dack |
Treecreeper –
another easy-to-miss bird due to its cryptic plumage and unobtrusive habits. It
won't come to feeders, you'll have to keep watching those tree trunks...
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| Jay by Liz Dack |
Jay – a loud and
raucous member of the crow family. Unmistakeable and often very obvious in the
autumn and early winter when they're busy retrieving cached stores of acorns
from lawns.
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| Redwing by Robert Powell |
Redwing– cold
winter weather is always likely to bring this pretty Scandinavian thrush into
urban areas. Plant berry bushes and look out for the distinctive cream stripe
above the eye and rather less obvious dab of orange-red on the side of its
breast.
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| Fieldfare by Duncan Macnab |
Fieldfare –
another Scandinavian thrush. Bigger and darker than a Redwing, with lots of
grey in its plumage. Loves windfall apples.
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| Tawny owl by Julian Thomas |
Tawny Owl – by far
the most likely owl to occur in gardens, though really you need mature trees
nearby. Truly nocturnal and far more likely to be heard than seen: listen out
for the familiar 'tu-whit, tu-whoo', as well as the more-commonly given
'ke-wick'.
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| Blackcap by Ray Jones |
Blackcap – a summer
migrant that now winters in increasing numbers. Males have the black cap,
though it's chestnut-brown in the female.
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| Pheasant by Liz Dack |
Pheasant – a
familiar bird of farmland which increasingly visit gardens, particularly those
on the edge of rural areas. Embrace their vast appetite for ground-strewn seed
and admire the male's stupendous plumage.
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| Grey wagtail by Julian Thomas |
Grey Wagtail – a
wild card this one, I could have equally have chosen the black and white Pied
Wagtail. Just remember: any wagtail in your garden in winter that has a dash of
yellow in its plumage is a Grey Wagtail. Common bird names can be so
misleading...
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| Waxwings by Colin Coupland |
Waxwing – the
holy grail for garden birdwatchers. Varies enormously in numbers as a UK
visitor from one year to the next (depending on the state of its food supply in
Europe): some years there's a glut, some virtually none. To have any chance of
getting one in your garden get planting berry trees – Guelder Roses always seem
to prove very popular with these wavy-crested visitors.
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