Lesser Redpoll

Whether it be high up in the canopy or down on the ground, Redpolls feed primarily on seeds. Luckily for Llandegfedd, the North Meadows are not cut for hay in the autumn, they are instead grazed by sheep during the winter months. Grazing is by far the best way forward for nature conservation as you can maintain grass levels while avoiding species of plant that are valuable to nature. It's these plants that species like Redpoll desire throughout the winter months and it is this reason alone that brings them down from the canopy and into the Meadows where we can see them better. This shot was taken from the footpath. 

Being down in the meadows however exposes them to predators like Sparrowhawk and moments after taking this shot, a Male Sparrowhawk flew out of the tree line behind me to try and catch one of these birds. They were lucky this time though and all of them managed to escape. The Sparrowhawk then flew off towards the feeding station so its probably eyeing one of those up. 

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Lesser Redpoll

Not a great photograph but just wanting to speak about the Redpoll that are proving hard to tempt into the feeders so far despite there being plenty of them onsite. I've noticed that the Redpoll and Siskin are still finding plenty of natural food, even in the trees surrounding the feeding station. That said, I have put a new feeder in today called a 'Niger Seed Feeder' which has been made with these sorts of birds in mind. I think we may need some more cold weather and even more finch activity before we tempt them in. Still plenty of winter left for things to change. This picture was taken from the hide today so just a matter of time I think. 

Coastal Migration

Autumn/Winter Migration is hot topic right now in the Uk because Birds that I've already mentioned in previous blogs like Redwing, Fieldfare and Brambling have all come from up north from countries like Scandinavia. 

Birds don't always migrate across the sea though as some of our native breeding birds remain in the Uk but still move south or to the coast-line. This is called local migration and for some birds like Redpoll, local migration is really important. On our very own coastline of the Gwent Levels, you can expect to see a lot more Redpoll turning up to feed on various seeds that autumn provides in our coastal plants. Redpoll will often stick in flocks this time of year (like many other species) and throughout winter, the seeds in which they seek are often in open areas which exposes them to predators like the Sparrowhawk. 

Stonechat's are another species that end up in random places along the coast and despite some birds actually breeding along the coast line in spring, most have travelled from our uplands. 

Moving down in altitude can make all the difference to survive our cold winters.