Unusual birds in the garden
January 10th, 2010 | by lucy |
Birds are struggling to survive in the harsh winter conditions but it’s a good opportunity to watch them without having to move from the warmth of a living room. Those keeping bird tables well stocked and maintaining a supply of unfrozen water have been recompensed by unusual sightings: the RSPB have received several calls about woodcock and snipe visiting gardens. People who have long dreamt of attracting fieldfares and redwings are finally being rewarded, as these species lose their habitual shyness.
Competition among birds is fierce, as comments on Birdforum.net reflect. One poster heard loud screeching in the garden and saw a house sparrow had been plucked from the bird table. By a sparrowhawk perhaps? In fact, it was dangling from the bill of a collared dove, who had grabbed it by the wing as they fought over food. The sparrow managed to struggle free.
Photo of woodcock posted on Flickr by Ian Taylor
Fears about the impact of last December’s severe weather, the coldest in 100 years, were unfounded. The drop in small bird populations witnessed in the 
The oldest osprey of the UK – and probably the world – has returned to her eyrie in the Scottish highlands. When she left for West Africa at the end of last summer, no one expected her to return. At 26 she’s lived 3 times longer than most female ospreys. In her life she’s laid 58 eggs and hatched 48 chicks, a massive individual contribution to the survival of ospreys in Scotland, where there are still only about 200 breeding pairs. The questions now are if her mate will return and if she is still fertile. Events can be followed on the 
The construction company currently finishing off the Shard building in London, which will be the UK’s tallest skyscraper, recently had to call the council to remove a squatter from the 72nd floor: a young fox. He was surviving on scraps left by builders. After a check-up at the Riverside Animal Centre, the fox has been released on the streets of Bermondsey, having shown the type of curiosity we associate with cats. 
Otters, water voles and fish are all benefitting from the improved quality of the UK’s waterways, now described as the cleanest since the industrial revolution. Since almost disappearing from the wild in the 1970s, otters are thriving, particularly in the south west of England, Cumbria and Northumberland. The population of water voles, highly precarious in the 1990s, is also beginning to recover. The good results of stricter pollution controls and extensive conservation work are set to continue in the new year with the introduction of new European water quality directives. 
