It can be easy to think of spring and summer as the prime months for wildlife. And you’d be partly right – certainly, the leaves on trees die off, greenery disappears, and many animals hibernate or make themselves scarce in the colder months. But if you stop to listen in the right place, you’ll hear rustles in the undergrowth and calls from the trees. 

There are so many birds you can spot throughout winter in the UK. In fact, you’ll often find food-laden gardens positively teeming with them! So, if you’re yearning for a mindful, nature-based winter activity, birdwatching is the perfect one. 

Top birdwatching tips for when you’re out and about 

First of all, it’s useful to know the basics of birdwatching – especially if you’re new to it. There are, of course, many ways to birdwatch, but check out our tips below to get started! 

The kit 

We want to preface this section by saying that birdwatching isn’t all about having the most expensive kit out there. Nature should be accessible to all of us, and there’s plenty of birdwatching you can do without even the cheapest binoculars. Feel free to skip this bit and go straight to ‘the attitude’ if you’re just starting out with your best tool – your eyes! 

Having said that, you can find yourself a pair of binoculars from around £10 these days, and the quality on the lower end is improving over time. Buy a pair online or in an outdoors shop and try them out at home, getting used to the adjustment features like width and focus. 

Make good use of the neck strap and, while you’re out birdwatching, adjust it to a length that’s comfortable for quickly and easily lifting them. For ultimate comfort if you’re planning on being out for some time, you might like to bring along a collapsible stool – and make sure you’ve got good footwear and warm layers on.  

If you want to go the extra mile (literally!), you could invest in a spotting scope, which is essentially a high-powered telescope. 

The attitude 

Rule number one for birdwatching is to respect the countryside and wildlife. This is the key to pretty much all of the birdwatching golden rules, like: 

• Keep quiet so as not to disturb the birds and other wildlife (including popping your phone on silent!) 

• Keep your distance and don’t chase after birds 

• Wear natural colours that blend in with your surroundings 

• Stay away from nesting birds and keep to paths to avoid stumbling into them. 

It’s also worth keeping in mind that going out with the intention of birdwatching doesn’t mean you’ll spot something right away. Exercise a little patience, though, and you will eventually!  

The know-how 

Just because you don’t know a blue tit from a great tit yet, don’t be disheartened. It can take avid birdwatchers many years to get to know all of the species in their local area. The most important thing is to be curious – and open to learning, if you want to! Having said that, you might also treat birdwatching like a mindfulness activity whereby you simply soak up the nature around you. 

Over time, though, you will begin to notice the different calls, qualities, and behaviours of a range of species. You’ll even start to pick up on their stress signals – some of which it’s a good idea to have a basic awareness of when starting out, so you avoid making them anxious. 

Look up good birdwatching locations near you, reach out to local wildlife trusts, and join online forums to learn more about your area’s birds.  

There are also some excellent apps available that you can use to track sightings and even help you to identify birds by their call or appearance – like Merlin Bird ID, for example. 

Birds to look out for this winter  

If you’re starting out now - say, you’re taking part in the Big Garden Birdwatch - it can be nice to have an idea of the types of birds you might see at this time of year. 

Here are a few you might spot: 

1. Pigeon – urban areas, gardens, cliffs. The humble pigeon can be seen on the streets in every city, but they can also be quite lovely to watch in your garden and practice your binocular skills on. Watch how they bob their heads! 

2. Robin – gardens, woodlands, hedgerows, parks. This classic Christmas-card bird is a lovely spot, and you’ll know it by its distinctive red breast. 

3. Blackbird – gardens, woodlands, grasslands. A member of the thrush family, blackbirds are black or dark brown and can sometimes be seen in small groups in winter. 

4. Blue tit – gardens, woodlands, hedgerows, parks, wetlands, orchards, scrublands. This common garden visitor can be easily recognised by its blue and yellow plumage. 

5. Great tit – gardens, woodlands, hedgerows, parks, wetlands, orchards, scrublands. Larger than the blue tit, these birds have black caps and yellow chests. 

6. Greenfinch – gardens, woodlands, orchards, farmland. Common in the south during winter, you’re quite likely to find one of these bright green fellows in Kent. 

7. Song thrush – gardens, woodlands, hedgerows, scrubland. These small, round birds are more commonly seen in woodland and usually fly solo. Its song is the subject of much poetry! 

8. Fieldfare – gardens, orchards, farmland. Drawn to orchard fruits throughout winter, you’re more likely to see one of these if you have an apple tree in the garden or nearby. 

9. Nuthatch – gardens, woodlands, parks. These agile birds are about the same size as the great tit and have a grey back, a black strip over their eye, and an orange breast. 

10. Great spotted woodpecker – woodlands. A special spot, the woodpecker is black and white with a red undertail. If you’re lucky enough, you may hear it drumming its beak against a tree! 

Migratory birds 

Most of the birds listed above can also be seen year-round. So if you’re hoping for a rarer find, look to migratory birds. 

Here are a few: 

1. Merlin – coasts. Our smallest raptor, the resident merlin numbers in the UK are boosted in winter by visitors from Iceland. 

2. Short-eared owl – marshes and grasslands. Spot this yellow-eyed owl hunting silently at dusk, with populations increased in winter by visits from Scandinavia and Russia. 

3. Whooper swan – lochs and lakes. Over from Iceland, this recognisable large white birds weighs up to 15kg! 

4. Siskin – rural gardens, parks, and woodlands. Your chances of seeing a bright yellow siskin are up in winter when populations migrate from Scandinavia. 

5. Turnstone – coasts, saltmarshes, mudflats. Turnstones - brown and white speckled waders - arrive from Canada and Greenland to the warmer UK climate. 

On the topic of coastal overwintering birds, it’s a good idea to be extra cautious of disturbance. Dogs, for example, can cause serious anxiety to these birds in need of a winter home. You can learn more about bird disturbance at our coastal reserves here and learn about our opposition to National Grid’s Sea Link plans for this reason. 

Increase your chances of spotting birds at home 

Fancy giving birdwatching a go from home? We don’t blame you! If you’ve got a garden and garden-facing window, there’s plenty you can do to increase your chances of spotting them. 

For one, avoid the temptation to cut back hedges. These can be crucial habitats for birds in the winter, and it follows that you’re more likely to see them if they have a home! 

Maintain and carefully place ‘feed stations’ 

First, put out some feeding stations. You can do this in several ways, and you can choose to do a few of them or just one: 

• Use natural materials like pinecones to build your own easy feeders – here's our guide 

• Plant - or trim back covering plants to expose - natural food sources like berry plants 

• Create a platform - like a table - to place seeds on top of 

• Buy or build your own bird box and feeders 

• Bird baths (or even bowls of water) can provide much-needed water. 

Place feeders at a good distance from your home so that any visiting birds aren’t frightened off by noise or activity. But of course, you’ll want to try to get a clear line of sight from your birdwatching window! You’ll also want to keep them clear of any shrubs from which cats could pounce on them. 

It’s also important to keep feeders clean throughout the year to prevent the spread of disease, and only put out the feed that’s needed so you don’t attract unwanted guests. 

Use healthy, nutritious bird food 

If you can, provide birds with a variety of food types, like: 

• Seed and grains like millet, oats, sunflower seeds, and nyjer 

• Raisins and sultanas 

• Fat and suet balls 

• Insects like mealworms. 

Reporting what you see 

Your birdwatching activities can also contribute to important citizen science and survey projects like the Big Garden Birdwatch (26th-28th January). The RSPB uses the data collected about the species and numbers of birds spotted to understand the state of the UK’s bird population – including important insight into which birds could be in need of more help. Simply submit what you see to the RSPB. 

Or, if you’re spotting outside of the Big Garden Birdwatch, you could submit an interesting sighting to the British Trust for Ornithology or record any and all spots to an app like eBird. 

Happy birdwatching! 

Above all else, we hope you have fun birdwatching – whenever and wherever you do it, and whatever you spot. It’s a lovely activity and frequent spotters will often tell you just how good it is for their wellbeing.  

So, get out there (or onto a seat by the window in the warm...) and enjoy. 

If you’re after some high-quality feeders and bird food, be sure to check out our range of Gardening and Wildlife products.