Another wonderful year has passed by and January
has already settled in. At the start of the New Year,
wildlife will appear in your garden. It’s time to welcome
some lovely birds! Put on some warm clothes and keep
an eye out for gorgeous species, such as Redwing,
Twite and Snow Bunting. With its unique and colourful
exterior, a particular species that will grace the sky and
land is the gorgeous Waxwing.
Listen for Tawny Owls hooting and Great-Spotted
Woodpeckers drumming. These two species both
begin their courtship displays in winter! Tawny Owls
are at their noisiest from December and great-spotted
woodpeckers begin drumming in January and February.
Woodpeckers nest in holes that they excavate in trees.
In autumn and winter, they will switch to eating berries
and nuts and will visit peanut feeders hung in the
garden. If you spot them from a distance, they have a
distinctive, bouncing flight.
Birds like to shelter in holes in tree trunks or
walls, and while the winter garden is sparse
in foliage of evergreen shrubs such as ivy and
privet hedges. If you have these in your
garden, don’t chop them back too much as
they offer some much-needed respite at this
time of year. You could also hang up a bird
box or some woven roosting pouches – you
can buy inexpensive ones from online shops
or garden centres. Tiny critters will also be
looking for little hidey holes, so gather up
lots of leaves, moss, twigs and bark. If you’re
desperate to tidy up the garden, leave a
slightly unruly area.