JONO LEADLEY, of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, reports on how the mild, stormy winter affects wild life in the region

THE icing of frost on lawns and the sound of commuters busy scraping ice from car windscreens was noticeable last week simply for having been unusual so far this winter.

Following a succession of harsh winters, this season has been notable for its storms, piling in from the Atlantic.

The severe impacts of these westerly winds and rainstorms have been less dramatic here in Yorkshire and local flooding along the Ouse and its tributaries is perhaps lower than you might expect at the end of January.

For wildlife the unusually mild temperatures can be a blessing. Those recent severe winters have virtually wiped out species of bird such as the stonechat, a relatively recent colonist to the Dales and uplands of Yorkshire.

Most insect-eating birds, such as swallows, warblers and flycatchers, head south to warmer climes for the winter, but resident birds such as stonechats, goldcrests, treecreepers and wrens stay and are hit hard by prolonged cold weather.

With high metabolisms, they need to feed continuously during the short days to take enough food in to survive the long cold nights.

Blankets of snow or a coating of ice lasting for several days cuts off access to food and the consequences can be fatal. A warmer winter could help these birds make a comeback.

Wildlife watchers may enjoy the comfort of mild conditions too, although numbers of some birds may be lower than usual, because their arrival on our shores is affected by feeding conditions in Europe.

Many species of wildfowl appear in larger numbers in the UK when the wetlands of the Low Countries freeze over.

Influxes of geese including white-fronted and tundra bean can occur widely under these conditions, often tagging on to the local greylag geese flocks. Wheldrake Ings Nature Reserve near York is a classic site to find them.

We get larger numbers of ducks too, of a wide range of species.

One species that we hope might turn up is the smew, an exquisite diving duck and high on the wanted sightings list for any keen birder.

The drake is washing-powder white, with ‘cracked ice’ black highlights. The female, known as a ‘redhead’, is also quite impressive, being generally grey, with a rufous head and white throat patch.

These small ducks feed on fish and are closely related to the much larger goosanders that can be found commonly on our rivers.

It has been a poor winter for smew so far, though a drake has been gracing the wetlands of West Yorkshire for the past few weeks and the occasional redhead has been seen.

If we get a cold snap, more may arrive.

With the slight increase in day length, birds are starting to sing. Familiar robins have kept up their thin, cheery song throughout the darkest days of winter, and are still a major part of the dawn chorus.

Both male and female robins sing during winter to defend feeding territories from rivals and at some point during the spring this also serves the male to attract a mate.

Our local song thrushes, wrens and great tits all commenced singing early last week and over the coming month will be joined by other resident species as the chorus builds to its spring crescendo.

There is still plenty of time for winter to re-assert an icy grip, but spring is in sight and the season is already starting to change.