Waxwings migrate from the boreal forests of continental Europe to spend their winters with us in search of rowan and other berries.
Winter Bird Walk 2020
The first guided walk of the year at Hillhouse Wood takes place on Saturday 29th February when Steve Hallam leads the Winter Bird Walk 2020. Walkers should meet at the Old Church at 10 am (weather permitting), wearing
stout footwear and warm clothing & with a warm drink in a flask. They can expect to see a range of resident woodland and meadow species as well as some winter visitors, the Woodland Trust lists the following as the top-15 winter potentials:
Robin,
Chaffinch,
Brambling,
Goldfinch,
Bullfinch,
Dunnock,
Goldcrest,
Blue Tit,
Long-tailed Tit,
Coal Tit,
Nuthatch,
Blackbird,
Redwing,
Fieldfare,
Waxwing.
If you want to know what to expect, you can read the report from the 2016 Winter Bird Walk; see a brief extract below:
Steve’s Winter Bird Walk 2016 Report
Tom Heap viewing the ‘Countryfile Tree’ after application of BioChar by Air Spade to help stave off Ash Dieback
The morning of Saturday 27 February was cold, dank and a bit dismal – not at all inviting. So naturally 15 people turned out for the 2016 Winter Birds guided walk in Hillhouse Wood, West Bergholt. This was the largest number that I can recall for this walk. It is one of the most variable of the ones I lead, both in terms of what we see and how many attend. One year there was just two of us. I was glad to see that Linda Firmin, Jo’s widow, had turned up, as if there is anything to see she will spot it.
One of the curiosities of these walks is that the spot at which we congregate can produce as many birds as anywhere else on the walk. And so it proved to be this year. While we were waiting (and no one was paying any attention to birds), I could hear Mistle Thrush, Greenfinch, Robin, Jackdaw, Chaffinch and Dunnock all either singing or calling. This is also one of the better places to see one of the local Buzzards…
