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Hard winter results in welcome bird visitors for photographers.

12th March 2010

Record temperatures and severe snow fall has seen this winter become the worst the British Isles has experienced for 30 years. As well as causing havoc for commuters and making it almost impossible to drag ourselves from our beds it’s caused significant difficulties for our feathered neighbours.

As well as having to cope with sub-zero temperatures, for many birds, namely ground feeding species it’s been a daily struggle to find enough to eat. Ground feeding birds such as Robins, Blackbirds and Sparrows have a hard time when their staple diet is buried under inches of snow. Other more shy and elusive species dependent on clear ground such as Woodcock, Snipe and Bittern have been forced to show themselves far more frequently than usual in the search for food, as such leaving them more vulnerable to predators such as Falcons and Red Foxes.

Not everything was doom and gloom though, thanks in part to the Brits love of birds the cold snap saw the welcome arrival of some very unusual visitors to our garden feeders – great for birdwatchers and wildlife photographers alike. Rarely observed in our gardens, species such as Redwings and Fieldfares to Reed Buntings, Yellow Hammers and Jays were being recorded as temperatures plummeted and food became scarcer.

For information on feeding birds and helping them through tough times visit www.rspb.org.uk