Winter Wildlife in the Midlands

Birds

The arrival of winter is heralded by the first flocks of winter thrushes (fieldfares and redwings) from Scandinavia our parks and wookdland create the perfect winter habitat, especially on open fields and grasslands of our parks and surrounding estates. A great place to spot winter birds is in mature hedges as they search out winter berries.

Help out the winter birds in your garden by putting out bird feeders or fat balls, not only are you helping your garden birds to thrive but it also means you get a closer look!

Head out into open fields and parkland and you might just spot a flock of golden plover or lapwing. Our resident birds are joined by huge numbers of migratory birds moving into “warmer” Britain from further north and east. The same applies to the large winter roosts of starlings sometimes seen as swirling flocks or “murmurations” coming to roost.

Mammals

Many mammals will be spending the winter either hibernating (bats, dormouse, hedgehogs to a degree) or only appearing when the conditions are fair or when they are driven out into the snow by hunger (badgers, squirrels). 

Trees

Our deciduous trees will also be “hibernating” when they shut down for winter having lost their leaves. This is a good time to appreciate the huge girth and splendour of our ancient trees, especially in our parklands where some are a 1000 years or more old.

Finches

Winter is the time of year to look out for flocks of colourful finches, either moving atop trees or feeding on the ground where there is spilled grain or other food. Look out for goldfinch, chaffinch, greenfinch and siskin in particular and amongst them smaller numbers of brambling or reed bunting. If you happen to walk by a yew tree it may well be being guarded by a noisy mistle thrush (“trrrrrr, trrrrrr” call) chasing away other birds attempting to steal what it considers to be its berries!