Not All Birds Have Gone

Ice storms, frost, and plenty of snow: winter has the country in its grip. Insect-eating birds such as swallows, warblers, and reed and leaf warblers have long since flown south. But not all birds have gone. In forests and fields, in urban parks and cemeteries, you can hear them chirping and singing. Among them are not only native species, but also winter visitors from the far north.

Native Songbirds Brave the Cold

Above all, the robin with its red breast can be heard loud and clear with its “tick-ick-ick” call in hedgerows and trees: “Great tits and marsh tits are also enthusiastic singers in winter. But in the forest, the nuthatch is vocally unrivalled,” says Michael Tetzlaff, ornithologist at Wildtierland Gut Klepelshagen in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. “Even the tiny wren lets its melodious song be heard now.” Alongside the short-toed treecreeper, goldcrests call everywhere. This lively species, which draws attention to itself noisily in larger flocks, populates the forests together with large numbers of bramblings. Black and green woodpeckers join in with their loud calls. From February onwards, great spotted woodpeckers begin their courtship drumming. Even if the open fields seem almost devoid of birds, many species from the far north can be observed there. “They are here to escape the bitter cold of the Arctic tundra,” explains the expert from the Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung. Rough-legged buzzards and great grey shrikes from Scandinavia lie in wait for mice. In their breeding grounds, these would now be hidden beneath a thick layer of snow and difficult for the birds to reach.

Winter Visitors from the Far North

Thousands of fieldfares are now descending on the few frost-covered berries still clinging to the shrubs. Together with their relatives, the redwings, they feast on the remaining fruit. Travelling many kilometres from their breeding grounds, thousands of siskins and common redpolls are also passing through our region. Their names hint at their feeding habits: they seek out alder and birch seeds, and also gather last year's seed heads from nettles and mugwort. «In many areas, farmland has been cleared of wild herbs and native shrubs, leaving barely enough food for our small winter visitors,» emphasises Michael Tetzlaff. It is therefore all the more important to plant native woody species in your garden and leave the occasional wild herb standing. «This is how you can help songbirds make it through the winter!»

Whooper swans and waxwings as highlights

On open stretches of water, the melodious calls of whooper swans can be heard as they arrive from the Baltic region. The undisputed stars among our winter visitors are the colourful Bohemian waxwings from the taiga. «Their extraordinary appearance, the far-carrying, tinkling quality of their calls — these are, for me, the highlights of winter,» says Tetzlaff. In March, our northern guests depart once more; then the returnees from the south come back. More on wildlife and environment and nature conservation at wildbeimwild.com.