Thaw brings relief from harsh winter

But the need remains for householders to continue feeding the birds visiting their gardens, while on nature reserves efforts were stepped up to feed the birds there.

The RSPB launched a national initiative for the emergency feeding of bitterns on reserves, manytotally icebound, where they are known to be wintering.

In our region surplus fish, including a salmon, from Doncaster market was left on the ice for the bitterns at Potteric Carr, attracting one within an hour.

At Far Ings on the Humber where six bitterns were seen at the weekend Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust staff provided whitebait and sardines while two bitterns at the RSPB's Fairburn Ings reserve near Castleford and the bitterns in the reedbed at Blacktoft Sands, still closed this week because of iced-up paths, were also supplied with fish.

Meanwhile there were reports of birds such as moorhens, yellowhammers and stock doves, not normally seen in gardens coming to feeders.

One reader even reported a red grouse in Leeds Road, Heckmondwike, well away from its moorland home.

One bird likely to have been particularly hard hit by the weather is the bearded tit.

A recent winter count at Blacktoft Sands found at least 230 bearded tits present, boosted by an abundant crop of reed seeds. The problem is that bearded tits, which feed on insects in the summer, totally change their diet to seeds in the autumn and take in grit to help them grind up the tough reed seeds in their stomachs. If the reed heads are frozen or covered in snow they can be denied their only source of food.

Once colony on the Tay estuary in Scotland was reduced to only a handful of pairs after a prolonged freeze in the winter of 1995 and it remains to be seen how the colonies at Blacktoft and elsewhere around the Humber have fared.

Oneconsolation is that bearded tits are capable of producing four broods a year so can quickly recover from such setbacks.

Another bird that may have been reduced in numbers is the stonechat. A run of mild winters has seen a big increase in stonechat numbers across Yorkshire but it is also dependent on seeds and berries and a deep covering of snow could result in a high mortality rate.

More fieldfares and redwings have been coming into gardens and will be attracted by any spare apples or pears. Single waxwings have been seen with two flocks, one at Thornton, Bradford and another in a garden in Knottingley.

Wildfowl have been concentrated on any remaining open stretches of water and six white-fronted geese have been present on Scalby Lodge Ponds near Scarborough for several days while two were seen at Paull Holme Strays on the Humber.

Two Bewick's swans were in fields at Sticking Hill, Mexborough, South Yorkshire. Drake smews have been seen at Horbury, West Yorkshire, Tophil Low and Far Ings.

A pair of long-tailed ducks, up to three great northern divers, a Slavonian grebe, velvet scoters, and six pale-bellied brent geese are among the birds seen in Filey Bay, a littleauk was in Scarborough Harbour on Monday while further up the coast a black redstart was at South Gare, Cleveland.

Classes organised by East Yorkshire birdwatcher Michael Flowers have started again with guided tours of sites in the region. For full details contact Michael by email on mflower81@ live.co.uk or ring 07946 625688.

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