The last few weeks have been dominated by rain and strong winds. Several people have asked me, ‘where have the birds gone?’ Heavy and persistent rain is indeed a serious problem for birds, particularly small ones. They run the risk of getting very cold and eventually becoming hypothermic. Happily, today is bright and sunny and the garden is full of birds.
In heavy rain, birds adopt a classic posture with their bodies upright and heads withdrawn, and their beaks pointed up towards the rain. This position allows them to conserve as much energy as possible as well as minimise the rain’s contact with their body so that raindrops slide off them. This only works in the short term as they still have to eat, so they tend to make very short foraging trips.
Just as at this time last year, I have had reports of large flocks of red kites, up to as many as thirtyfive wheeling gently in a relatively small air space. I can find no explanation for this, and it only seems to happen in winter. Many other birds are travelling in flocks currently, these include bramblings and our resident fieldfare, redwings, and golden plover on Spring Hill. On clear mornings we are starting to hear a bit of a dawn chorus, and this will increase in volume as the days lengthen. A sign that spring cannot be too far away.
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