While winter can feel like a quieter time of year, it can be a brilliant time to go wildlife watching. A lot of trees lose their leaves which can help us see that little bit further into the natural world. Mud and snow are both ideal tracking tools as they capture footprints from any passing wildlife. Winter also sees an influx of migratory species with lots of birds visiting to escape harsher conditions further afield.

Here are some of our favourite natural wonders to look out for this winter.

Garden birds
As the weather gets colder, many garden birds use bird feeders as a way of supplementing their diet. This helps them get through the harsh winter months before heading into the breeding season in spring. Bird feeders are a great place to watch birds and can be a hive of activity in the colder seasons as food becomes scarce elsewhere.
Perhaps one of the most vibrant birds to spot on feeders are goldfinches. While some goldfinches migrate, many remain here, grouping together in large flocks. A large part of their diet is seeds, particularly from teasels and thistles. Goldfinches also love sunflower hearts and niger seeds; a flock of these colourful critters can easily empty a bird feeder if it’s filled with their favourite food!

If you’re in need of some seed for your bird feeders, head over to Vine House Farm. A percentage of their sales are donated to Wildlife Trust’s across the UK.

“During the winter I love seeing goldfinches flying about and pinching teasel seeds. Their colourfulness can really brighten a winters day!”

– Rachel Faichnie, Engagement Officer

Winter visitors

There are a number of species that migrate to the UK and Scotland from places that have harsher winters. Birds like fieldfare and redwing visit from Scandinavia and head back once the worst of the cold weather has passed.

Fieldfare and redwing are both part of the thrush family and migrate from Scandinavia and as far as Russia. They can often been seen in flocks together, eating berries and fallen fruit. Redwings are slightly smaller than fieldfare and have a noticeable reddish patch under their wings.

Redwings migrate at night, waiting for clear weather before making their journey. They will often travel a considerable distance inland before finally landing and finding food. It’s thought that there are now a very small number of resident redwings in Scotland, mostly in the north, although their numbers are hard to track given their frequent movements which are driven by food availability.

Fieldfares are slightly larger than blackbirds and have a slightly greyish colour on their heads. They have yellow beaks and are normally breed in Northern Europe and Scandinavia. When defending their breeding territories, fieldfares are known to display an interesting behaviour, using a well-aimed defecation to ward off would-be intruders! Similar behaviour can be seen in Scotland should a fieldfare feel the need to defend a scarce food source.

There are lots of other migratory bird species that visit Scotland for the winter; waxwings with their distinctive crests, whooper swans showing their yellow beaks and purple sandpipers on rocky sections of coastline.

You can read more about redwings, fieldfares and waxwings in this previous blog.

Reserves to visit

Loch of the Lowes – While Loch of the Lowes is perhaps best known for the visiting osprey in spring and summer, it’s also a great place to visit in winter. The bird hides offer a bit of shelter and the visitor centre provides a lovely warm spot to watch wildlife from the window while enjoying a hot drink (hot chocolates are a winter favourite!). Visit in winter to see waterfowl like greylag geese and great crested grebes on the loch and red squirrels on the woodland walk.

Shewalton Wood – Nestled on the outskirts of Irvine, Shewalton Wood is a native woodland regeneration project on the site of an old landfill. This thriving reserve is home to a huge range of wildlife. Visit in winter to see icy spiderwebs, frozen leaves and dewy grass.