The arrival of our winter visitors

In line with the adage " safety in numbers" many of our birds flock together in winter, both for safety from predators and also to forage for food more effectively.

We now have large flocks of thrushes, tits and finches moving around Knaresborough Forest Park taking advantage of this year's bountiful supply of berries and fruit, especially hawthorn.

Some of the birds are with us throughout the year but their numbers have been swelled with visitors from Northern Europe, coming south to the UK to enjoy our relatively " mild" winters!

Our current finch flocks,collectively known as "charms" contain familiar birds like Chaffinches, Goldfinches, Greenfinches and Bullfinches but also include lesser-known finches called Redpolls and Siskins

Siskin

Redpoll

Both of these finches are similar in size to a Goldfinch with the Redpoll having a distinctive red forehead and the streaked yellow-green Siskin possessing a black crown. Both breed most commonly in more northern and western parts of the UK in mixed woodland but are joined in winter by birds from Northern Europe.

As the berries in the countryside begin to run out it is worth looking out for these birds as they can become regular visitors to the feeders in our gardens