Spotter’s guide to wintering birds

In winter our garden birds may look familiar, but many have travelled long distances to be here. Britain’s largely ice-free winter climate means that they come here in autumn from Northern and Eastern Europe to take advantage of our mild weather. Some, such as the redwing, fieldfare, brambling and waxwing, are almost exclusively winter visitors to Britain. Others, such as the robin, blackbird, blackcap, chaffinch and starling, are also here in spring and summer, but their numbers are augmented during autumn and winter by additional migrants that have flown from continental Europe; some from as far away as northern Russia. All of these birds require our help: they rely on the food provided by us to get the energy they need to survive the winter, so they can return to the north to breed next spring. Stephen Moss is a naturalist, writer and BBC wildlife producer .

Stephen Moss : selects a few of the migrant and partial-migrant birds who like a British winter

Starling

Flocks of this feisty, noisy bird travel here each autumn from Russia to boost our native population. With their spotted plumage and sharp, conical beaks they are easy to identify as they probe the lawn for insects.

Blackbird

The familiar blackbird nesting in your garden may now be competing with his continental cousins, which cross the North Sea from Scandinavia to spend the winter here. Females can be more brown than black, while the males have dark yellow beaks and eye-rings.

Blackcap

Once purely spring and summer visitors to Britain, these chunky grey warblers with black crowns (chestnut in the females) increasingly spend the winter here too – though they’re immigrants from Germany and north-east Europe, not our breeding birds.

Redwing

The smallest British thrush: darker than the song thrush with a creamy stripe above the eye and red-tinged patch on the flanks. Redwings travel from Iceland and Scandinavia and feed largely in open countryside.

Fieldfare

A large, colourful thrush with a long tail, grey head, yellow breast with large black spots, and magenta wings. Often travels in loose flocks, visiting gardens in harsh weather to feed on berries and fruit.

Robin

Your familiar garden robin may be joined in autumn and winter by shyer relatives from the north and east. Sometimes this leads to fights between rivals as they each defend their patch of food.

Chaffinch

Vast numbers of chaffinches arrive in Britain each winter boosting the population of Britain’s second commonest breeding bird. Males have a pink breast while females are buff in colour. Both show flashes of white in the wings when they fly.

Brambling

The northern relative of the familiar chaffinch arrives in variable numbers each year. Normally found in woods, it may also visit gardens to feed. Look out for the male’s black head and wings, orange breast and bright white rump.

Waxwing

The ultimate prize for garden birdwatchers: this stunning bird arrives in flocks each autumn and is often found on berry bushes in gardens. Starling sized with pinkish-brown plumage, wispy crest and red on the wing – like sealing wax!

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