Goldfinch<\/a> (Carduelis carduelis<\/em>)<\/h3>\n ![\""Goldfinch\"]( "\\"\"Goldfinch\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Goldfinch perched on a branch with berries. \u00a9 Mark Hamblin<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n God knows the world needs allthe good it can get right now \u2013Out in the gardens and fields,Goldfinches are gilding the land for free <\/blockquote> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div> The opening lines of Goldfinch<\/em>, a poem in Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris\u2019s book The Lost Spells<\/em>, remind us that garden birds are joy-bringers in difficult times, yet not something we can take for granted. Canaries in the coal mine, their fortunes should concern us all.<\/p>\nPerhaps this is why we feed birds, and the goldfinch is a perfect example of how doing so can change the populations and behaviour of individual species. In Britain, our relationship with this glittering gem with the tinkling voice\u00a0is particularly close. Always a prized cage bird, it nowadays is better known as one of the most\u00a0familiar visitors to garden birdfeeders.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0goldfinch population has soared in recent years, boosted by our winter offerings of countless\u00a0tonnes of sunflower hearts (until three decades\u00a0ago an exotic sight in British gardens), which the fine-billed finch adores. According to the\u00a0British Trust for Ornithology<\/a> (BTO), the UK\u00a0now has an estimated 1.65 million breeding TV pairs of goldfinches \u2013 more than carrion crows\u00a0or rooks \u2013 a dramatic rise probably also assisted by milder winters.<\/p>\nThe goldfinch\u2019s scientific name, Carduelis carduelis<\/em>, is an example of a tautonym<\/a>, where the genus and specific name are the same.<\/p>\nStarling<\/a> (Sturnus vulgaris<\/em>)<\/h3>\n ![\""Starlings\"]( "\\"\"Starling\\"")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Starlings massing at a winter roost site at dusk. \u00a9 Andy Rouse\/Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nWe tend to forget that Britain is the source,\u00a0as well as the destination, of invasive \u2018alien\u2019 species. Take the starling. As revealed by BBC Radio 4\u2019s fascinating documentary Shakespeare\u2019s Starling<\/em><\/a>, in the 1890s a US society had the bright idea of introducing many European species of bird mentioned by the bard \u2013 with devastating consequences. Now there are more than 200 million starlings in North America, and they\u2019re wreaking havoc.<\/p>\nBack in the bird\u2019s native range, however, we face the opposite problem \u2013 dwindling numbers. Starlings are on the Red List of species of conservation concern, due to steep declines in their breeding population. So the awe-inspiring aerial manoeuvres,\u00a0or murmurations, that starlings perform before going to roost in winter are noticeably thinner on the ground than they were as recently as the 1980s.<\/p>\n
Yet the dusk displays, which are swelled by migrant birds fleeing the harsher conditions in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and Russia, remain a highlight of\u00a0the wildlife watcher\u2019s calendar.<\/p>\n
The best murmurations usually\u00a0occur on cold, still, clear evenings between December and February.\u00a0An episode of Radio 4 series Naturebang<\/em><\/a> explores the science of these spectacles\u2026 and how the starlings manage not to smash into one another.<\/p>\n Learn more about starlings:\u00a0<\/h4>\n- Starling guide<\/a><\/li>\n
- Where to see starling murmurations<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
<\/p><\/div> <\/section>
Brown centipede (Lithobius forficatus<\/em>)<\/h3>\n ![\""Brown\"]( "\\"\"Brown\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Brown centipede on a log. \u00a9 Alex Hyde<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nFirst things first: centipedes don\u2019t have 100 legs. Some possess rather more, but the brown, or common, centipede gets by with just 15 pairs. It is among the most impressive of the 60 or so species of centipede in Britain, and mouldering bark\u00a0and leaves can be a good place to find it.<\/p>\n
Leaf litter creates a\u00a0musty microclimate, substantially warmer than chilly winter air, so stays full of invertebrate activity. This is why so many animals, from blackbirds and robins to chickens and wild boar, love scratching about in leaves.<\/p>\n
Grey wagtail (Motacilla cinerea<\/em>)<\/h3>\n ![\""Grey\"]( "\\"\"Grey\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Grey wagtail. \u00a9 Colin Varndell<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nBoth wagtails present in Britain this season frequent built-up areas. Pied wagtails forage on the tarmac of car parks and roost in street trees, including at shopping centres and London Heathrow Terminal 5. Grey wagtails, in summer associated with rushing streams, swap uplands for urban canals and rivers and the puddles on platforms and office roofs.<\/p>\n
In 1973\u2019s The Unofficial Countryside<\/em>, Richard Mabey describes \u201cgrey wags\u201d overwintering in London, flitting about the rafts of debris that have built up at canal locks, and hopping between bits of floating polystyrene.<\/p>\n16-spot ladybird (Tytthaspis sedecimpunctata<\/em>)<\/h3>\n ![\""A\"]( "\\"\"A\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> A cluster of 16-spot ladybirds. \u00a9 Laurence Counter<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nWinter is coming, and one of the consequences is the disappearance of insects. With searching, however, some can still be found. Ladybirds overwinter in huddles, occasionally dozens strong, and these may be seen in cracks in bark and walls, around window frames or under piles of leaves.<\/p>\n
You\u2019re most likely to meet seven-spot ladybirds and non-native harlequins, but others to look for include the black-on-yellow 16-spot ladybird. Some clusters seem very exposed, yet these beetles are toxic. The brighter the colours, the more toxic the species.<\/p>\n Learn more about ladybirds:\u00a0<\/h4>\n- Truth or fiction: we should be scared of harlequin ladybirds<\/a><\/li>\n
- Wildlife Q&A: Why are ladybird so pattern variable?<\/a><\/li>\n
- Wildlife Q&A: When do ladybird huddles emerge from hibernation?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
<\/p><\/div> <\/section>
December moth (Poecilocampa populi<\/em>)<\/h3>\n ![\""December\"]( "\\"\"December\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> December moth. \u00a9 James Lowen<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nThis handsome, if subtly marked, moth is drawn to buildings by artificial light, usually on December evenings, though it may also emerge in October or November. As befits a winter-flying species,\u00a0its body is swaddled in thick fur.<\/p>\n
The other key feature to look for is cream lines running across Bournville-brown wings. In common with other moths active in winter, the adult insect never feeds \u2013 the only thing on its mind is tracking down a mate.<\/p>\n Learn more about moths:<\/h4>\n- Wildlife Q&A: How can butterflies and moths smell?<\/a><\/li>\n
- News (2019): Moths have a bad reputation despite ecological importance<\/a><\/li>\n
- Wildlife Q&A: Why are moths attracted to artifical light?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
<\/p><\/div> <\/section>
Polecat<\/a> (Mustela putorius<\/em>)<\/h3>\n ![\""Polecat.\"]( "\\"\"Polecat.\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Polecat. \u00a9 Mike Lane<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nIn winter, wildlife often comes to us. So it is with the polecat \u2013 an exceptionally elusive nocturnal predator that, despite its ongoing comeback from persecution-driven decline, remains one of the hardest of all British mammals to see.<\/p>\n
Like its domesticated ferret relatives, the polecat is a hunter of small mammals, and at this time of year it becomes a ratter, venturing closer to our outbuildings, chicken runs and allotments. It remains almost impossible to plan a polecat sighting, but you never know.<\/p>\n
![\""Goldfinch\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/23\/2020\/11\/Goldfinch.-Mark-Hamblin-5d3763c.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C411"\" "\\"\"Goldfinch\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>God knows the world needs allthe good it can get right now \u2013Out in the gardens and fields,Goldfinches are gilding the land for free <\/blockquote> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>The opening lines of Goldfinch<\/em>, a poem in Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris\u2019s book The Lost Spells<\/em>, remind us that garden birds are joy-bringers in difficult times, yet not something we can take for granted. Canaries in the coal mine, their fortunes should concern us all.<\/p>\n
Perhaps this is why we feed birds, and the goldfinch is a perfect example of how doing so can change the populations and behaviour of individual species. In Britain, our relationship with this glittering gem with the tinkling voice\u00a0is particularly close. Always a prized cage bird, it nowadays is better known as one of the most\u00a0familiar visitors to garden birdfeeders.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0goldfinch population has soared in recent years, boosted by our winter offerings of countless\u00a0tonnes of sunflower hearts (until three decades\u00a0ago an exotic sight in British gardens), which the fine-billed finch adores. According to the\u00a0British Trust for Ornithology<\/a> (BTO), the UK\u00a0now has an estimated 1.65 million breeding TV pairs of goldfinches \u2013 more than carrion crows\u00a0or rooks \u2013 a dramatic rise probably also assisted by milder winters.<\/p>\n
The goldfinch\u2019s scientific name, Carduelis carduelis<\/em>, is an example of a tautonym<\/a>, where the genus and specific name are the same.<\/p>\n
Starling<\/a> (Sturnus vulgaris<\/em>)<\/h3>\n
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Starlings massing at a winter roost site at dusk. \u00a9 Andy Rouse\/Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n We tend to forget that Britain is the source,\u00a0as well as the destination, of invasive \u2018alien\u2019 species. Take the starling. As revealed by BBC Radio 4\u2019s fascinating documentary Shakespeare\u2019s Starling<\/em><\/a>, in the 1890s a US society had the bright idea of introducing many European species of bird mentioned by the bard \u2013 with devastating consequences. Now there are more than 200 million starlings in North America, and they\u2019re wreaking havoc.<\/p>\n
Back in the bird\u2019s native range, however, we face the opposite problem \u2013 dwindling numbers. Starlings are on the Red List of species of conservation concern, due to steep declines in their breeding population. So the awe-inspiring aerial manoeuvres,\u00a0or murmurations, that starlings perform before going to roost in winter are noticeably thinner on the ground than they were as recently as the 1980s.<\/p>\n
Yet the dusk displays, which are swelled by migrant birds fleeing the harsher conditions in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and Russia, remain a highlight of\u00a0the wildlife watcher\u2019s calendar.<\/p>\n
The best murmurations usually\u00a0occur on cold, still, clear evenings between December and February.\u00a0An episode of Radio 4 series Naturebang<\/em><\/a> explores the science of these spectacles\u2026 and how the starlings manage not to smash into one another.<\/p>\n
Learn more about starlings:\u00a0<\/h4>\n
- Starling guide<\/a><\/li>\n
- Where to see starling murmurations<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
<\/p><\/div> <\/section>
Brown centipede (Lithobius forficatus<\/em>)<\/h3>\n
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Brown centipede on a log. \u00a9 Alex Hyde<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n First things first: centipedes don\u2019t have 100 legs. Some possess rather more, but the brown, or common, centipede gets by with just 15 pairs. It is among the most impressive of the 60 or so species of centipede in Britain, and mouldering bark\u00a0and leaves can be a good place to find it.<\/p>\n
Leaf litter creates a\u00a0musty microclimate, substantially warmer than chilly winter air, so stays full of invertebrate activity. This is why so many animals, from blackbirds and robins to chickens and wild boar, love scratching about in leaves.<\/p>\n
Grey wagtail (Motacilla cinerea<\/em>)<\/h3>\n
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Grey wagtail. \u00a9 Colin Varndell<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n Both wagtails present in Britain this season frequent built-up areas. Pied wagtails forage on the tarmac of car parks and roost in street trees, including at shopping centres and London Heathrow Terminal 5. Grey wagtails, in summer associated with rushing streams, swap uplands for urban canals and rivers and the puddles on platforms and office roofs.<\/p>\n
In 1973\u2019s The Unofficial Countryside<\/em>, Richard Mabey describes \u201cgrey wags\u201d overwintering in London, flitting about the rafts of debris that have built up at canal locks, and hopping between bits of floating polystyrene.<\/p>\n
16-spot ladybird (Tytthaspis sedecimpunctata<\/em>)<\/h3>\n
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
A cluster of 16-spot ladybirds. \u00a9 Laurence Counter<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n Winter is coming, and one of the consequences is the disappearance of insects. With searching, however, some can still be found. Ladybirds overwinter in huddles, occasionally dozens strong, and these may be seen in cracks in bark and walls, around window frames or under piles of leaves.<\/p>\n
You\u2019re most likely to meet seven-spot ladybirds and non-native harlequins, but others to look for include the black-on-yellow 16-spot ladybird. Some clusters seem very exposed, yet these beetles are toxic. The brighter the colours, the more toxic the species.<\/p>\n
Learn more about ladybirds:\u00a0<\/h4>\n
- Truth or fiction: we should be scared of harlequin ladybirds<\/a><\/li>\n
- Wildlife Q&A: Why are ladybird so pattern variable?<\/a><\/li>\n
- Wildlife Q&A: When do ladybird huddles emerge from hibernation?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
<\/p><\/div> <\/section>
December moth (Poecilocampa populi<\/em>)<\/h3>\n
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
December moth. \u00a9 James Lowen<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n This handsome, if subtly marked, moth is drawn to buildings by artificial light, usually on December evenings, though it may also emerge in October or November. As befits a winter-flying species,\u00a0its body is swaddled in thick fur.<\/p>\n
The other key feature to look for is cream lines running across Bournville-brown wings. In common with other moths active in winter, the adult insect never feeds \u2013 the only thing on its mind is tracking down a mate.<\/p>\n
Learn more about moths:<\/h4>\n
- Wildlife Q&A: How can butterflies and moths smell?<\/a><\/li>\n
- News (2019): Moths have a bad reputation despite ecological importance<\/a><\/li>\n
- Wildlife Q&A: Why are moths attracted to artifical light?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
<\/p><\/div> <\/section>
Polecat<\/a> (Mustela putorius<\/em>)<\/h3>\n
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Polecat. \u00a9 Mike Lane<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n In winter, wildlife often comes to us. So it is with the polecat \u2013 an exceptionally elusive nocturnal predator that, despite its ongoing comeback from persecution-driven decline, remains one of the hardest of all British mammals to see.<\/p>\n
Like its domesticated ferret relatives, the polecat is a hunter of small mammals, and at this time of year it becomes a ratter, venturing closer to our outbuildings, chicken runs and allotments. It remains almost impossible to plan a polecat sighting, but you never know.<\/p>\n
![\""Starlings\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/23\/2014\/10\/GettyImages-84436817-5355b5f.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C404"\" "\\"\"Starling\\"")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>![\""Brown\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/23\/2020\/11\/Brown-Centipede.-Alex-Hyde-cafb1cb.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C407"\" "\\"\"Brown\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>![\""Grey\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/23\/2020\/11\/Grey-wagtail.-Colin-Varndell-3b09f3c.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C410"\" "\\"\"Grey\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>![\""A\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/23\/2020\/11\/16-spot-ladybird.-Laurence-Counter.--45e6c8f.jpg?quality=90&resize=310%2C413"\" "\\"\"A\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>![\""December\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/23\/2020\/11\/December-Moth.-James-Lowen-a380a70.jpg?quality=90&resize=616%2C413"\" "\\"\"December\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>![\""Polecat.\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/23\/2020\/11\/Polecat.-Mike-Lane-27b87e4.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C412"\" "\\"\"Polecat.\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>