Darker nights are drawing in and nature’s slowing down for the season, but there’s still…
Winter is often seen as a quieter season for UK wildlife, seemingly lacking the vibrant displays we see from nature in warmer months. Yet it can offer a different perspective on nature, one that is equally interesting and full of subtle changes. Emma Martin, UK Landscapes Specialist at WWF, shares the fauna and flora you might find when you’re out on a frosty adventure.
During these colder months and shorter days, don’t forget to get your daily dose of nature on a winter walk and to look out for the UK’s wonderful wildlife.
Fauna to spot this winter
Grey Seal
Admittedly, marine mammals can be more difficult to spot than other wildlife, but one species deserves a mention – the grey seal. Winter sets the scene for a critical part of the grey seal’s life cycle.
Many of us may have encountered a seal just offshore, while walking on a beach or coastal path. In the UK, there are two species of seal: the common seal and the grey seal. It’s easy to tell them apart as grey seals are larger, have much bigger heads and pronounced sloping noses. It may come as a surprise, but the UK is home to almost 40% of all grey seals in the world, with most colonies living in Scotland.
As autumn approaches, female grey seals haul themselves onto the shore to give birth. Mothers only stay with their pups for 20-25 days before returning to the sea to feed. It’s then only a matter of time before the pups venture into the sea themselves, as hunger takes over. Found around the UK coastline, grey seal pups will head out to sea anywhere from October to January.
Goldcrest
The goldcrest is the UK’s smallest species of bird and, according to The Woodland Trust, only weighs around 5 grams or the equivalent of a 20 pence piece. Though elusive, they can be seen across the UK in mixed and coniferous woodlands, parks and gardens. They flit, in constant motion, between the branches of trees in search of food. The UK has a large year-round population of goldcrests. During the winter months this population is boosted by birds migrating from Scandinavia.
Many people associate goldcrests with winter. They become easier to spot throughout November and December, due to an increase in number, and greater visibility on leafless trees. As you go out for your winter walks, listen out for the goldcrest’s high-pitched and squeaky song and then look up and see if you can spot one.
Knot
The knot is a wading bird that gathers in huge flocks, arriving from Arctic breeding grounds to feed in our food-rich estuaries. During winter, the knot’s winter plumage is silvery grey, but they are easier to identify in early spring when they start to develop brick-red feathers. Knots can be found at many of our muddy shorelines. However, most of the wintering population descend on The Wash in Norfolk. The British Trust for Ornithology has found that wintering knots mainly come from Iceland, Greenland and the Canadian Arctic, with The Wash hosting much of the population, with a mid-winter count of 200,000. With a quick check of the best dates and times, anyone can witness a breathtaking knot murmuration at nature reserves, such as RSPB Snettisham in Norfolk.
Robin
As a nation, we associate the robin with winter. For those celebrating Christmas, cards will be adorned with this common but fascinating little bird. Their traditional connection with Christmas is derived from the uniform of Victorian postmen – a bright red tunic.
Found throughout the UK, robins tend to nest hidden away in hollows, covered with thick vegetation. However, these adaptable birds have been known to build nests in all sorts of unusual places. Most of our robins are sedentary, establishing and defending a single territory for many years. Winter is a time of great change and activity for this garden favourite. Some robins migrate to central and southern Europe, while winter sees the arrival of small numbers of birds escaping the harsher Scandinavian winter. Incredibly, migrating robins will return too and aggressively defend specific territories in both their summer and winter home.
Unlike many other birds, robins can appear fearless when it comes to human interaction and will often flit around at close range as you dig your garden over. This is thought to come from the robin’s close relationship with other species, such as mammals, that turn over soil and expose rich pickings of invertebrates.
Mountain hare
It’s hard to think about winter wildlife without picturing mountain hares in their white winter fur. Usually found in tundra regions of the Arctic, they can also be seen in several parts of the UK. Yet the Highlands of Scotland is their only native home. They have been introduced elsewhere and they can be found in the Scottish Southern Uplands, a handful of Scottish islands and England’s Peak District. Mountain hares take shelter in ‘forms’ – a shallow ditch in the ground – and when disturbed can be seen zig-zagging across the moors at speeds up to 45mph!
Perfectly adapted to their cold, harsh surroundings, mountain hares moult twice a year, changing colour to blend into the environment around them. In winter, their fur turns white with only the tips of their ears staying black.
Flora to spot this winter
Silver birch
Identifying deciduous trees in winter can be quite the challenge, without leaves to work out which tree is which! However, learning to identify bare trees is a great winter wildlife activity. You can look for bark patterns, emerging buds, height, position and shape to help you better understand woodlands in winter. One widespread tree that can even look its best during winter is the silver birch. Its silvery-white bark cracks over time and peels to leave dark green and black patches and stripes.
Silver birch grow up to 30 metres tall and rely on an extensive, widely spread root system that pulls essential nutrients into the tree, recycled back into the soil when the leaves fall. This tree can support hundreds of species of birds, insects and fungi, making this species important for other wildlife. The Silver birch is culturally significant too, recognised as both a purifier, and a symbol of love throughout history. Survivalists and adventurers use fallen birch bark to start fires, as even when it’s damp, fallen birch bark is flammable.
Holly
Whether it’s the famous carol ‘The Holly and the Ivy’ or that prickly sprig sat atop a Christmas pudding, the sight of holly, will create a sense of festive nostalgia for many. Holly can be found throughout the UK during the winter months, most commonly in woodland and hedgerows. And it’s likely you’ll find other wildlife there too. Holly provides protection, nesting sites and food for birds, with its berries providing an important food source throughout the winter. However, while these berries are greatly appreciated by the birds, they’re poisonous to humans, so make sure you don’t eat any!
Rowan
Rowan is another provider of red berries for wildlife in winter. Also known as ‘mountain ash’, this small tree is found across the UK. However, it mainly grows in windswept mountains and heathlands, particularly in the Highlands of Scotland. Rowan berries can be seen from August to January. They’re a bright orangey-red colour so are hard to miss, and are a favourite food of waxwings, redwings and other thrushes.
Once thought to hold special powers, rowans were planted outside houses to protect against witches, with the red berries though to ward off evil. Today, the berries are made into a tasty jam!
What else can you spot this winter?
Lichen
Lichens are mini ecosystems and are best described as two or more species living very closely, or in ‘symbiosis’. For many years, scientists believed they were made of a fungus which gives the plant its main structure, and an alga which photosynthesises to provide sugars for the fungus to feed on. In fact, it’s a lot more complicated, with experts constantly discovering more and more fascinating characteristics of lichens.
Lichens are all around us but identifying them can be challenging. Winter helps with this, as vegetation dies back, and the full beauty of the lichens is revealed. The ‘sunburst’ or shore lichen is found on rocks and trees alike. At the coast, this lichen will most likely be bright orange in colour. In a shady place it will be a green or grey shade, with its colour defined by exposure to sunlight.
Image credit
Header image © Andrew Parkinson / WWF-UK
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