If you like bird watching, you've probably noticed that some species migrate to southern climes during the cold season. On the other hand, winter guests can be discovered in the garden or in the great outdoors, who use our milder climate to spend the winter here. In the following article we would like to introduce you to the most common types.
The beautiful waxwing comes to us in search of a milder climate
These are:
- barnacle goose
- Fieldfare
- Brambling
- redwing
- waxwing
barnacle goose
This sea goose spends its entire life near the coast. You can recognize them from afar by their white head and black neck. Their breeding grounds are on the Russian coast of the Arctic Ocean, as well as in Greenland and Spitsbergen. The Russian population, which currently numbers around 120,000 animals, spends the winter in the German Wadden Sea area.
Fieldfare
It is about the size of a blackbird and is strikingly colorful compared to the native thrush species. The animals can often be spotted in open areas and in hedges in the winter months. Sometimes they even fall hungry en masse on the last fruit hanging on the trees.
Brambling
This approximately 15 centimeter tall bird can be easily distinguished from our native chaffinch due to the orange colored breast and shoulder. From October to April, the animals can be observed in parks, gardens and beech forests. They also like to visit suspended bird feeders with other finches. Their diet includes beechnuts, coarse seeds, cereals and nuts.
redwing
It is one of the most common breeding birds in Scandinavia. It can be found here as a winter guest from the end of October to the beginning of April. It is about 21 centimeters tall and is therefore one of the smallest thrushes. Their flanks and the area under their wings is colored rusty red, which makes them easy to distinguish from the song thrush. On warmer days, it prefers to feed on invertebrates and insects, but switches to berries in winter. Lay out apples in the garden during the cold season, and these thrushes will not stay away for long.
waxwing
The most striking feature of this winter guest is the pointed feather bonnet that runs backwards. The waxwing is one of the invasive birds that immigrate to us irregularly, but then en masse. If the animals lack food in their breeding area, this phenomenon occurs when snow begins to fall.
tips
If you feed them a variety of foods in winter, the winter guests will also find enough food. A mixture of shelled nuts, sunflower seeds, raisins, oatmeal, various seeds and a little chicken feed is well suited. The popular fat balls (€9.99) should not have a net, as the animals can get caught in it. In addition, lay out halved apples.