Welcome the New Year with some Yorkshire winter wildlife-watching

Winter highlights the sculptural beauty of our surroundings, grass and tree branches tinted with glittering frost and lit in the low sun by a pale blue or pink sky.

The air is frigid and clean, the wind sharp and exhilarating, and familiar surroundings take on a hint of wonderland.

Wildlife can be easier to spot in the crispness of winter too.

Although you might think winter is the time of hibernation and sleep, much of our wildlife is as bustlingly busy as before.

Spending time outdoors is also fantastic for mental health and wellbeing, whether you’re taking a short ramble around your local park or going on a full-length hike.

Perhaps you’ve resolved to enjoy more of Yorkshire’s unique wildlife this January, or maybe you’re aching for a winter walk with a difference. Dress warmly, grab a flask and a torch, bring your family and friends – and enjoy Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s list of wild spectacles...

Starling murmurations

You find yourself out on a walk as winter dusk sets on when without warning, calm skies are suddenly filled with a whirling, liquid-like mass of birds, moving in stunning synchronicity.

This is likely a starling murmuration, one of nature’s awe-inspiring spectacles.

Starling murmuration at Ripon City Wetlands (Image: Clive Stones)Roosts usually begin to form in November, especially around wetland reedbeds, and last until early January. More and more birds will flock together as the weeks go on, and the number of starlings in a roost can swell to around 100,000 in some places. They’re a cacophonous experience, leaving flattened reedbeds in their wake – but truly something special.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust have a number of fantastic reserves to watch murmurations from. Ripon City Wetlands beside the racecourse is best known for its incredible murmurations just before dusk, but make sure to check out Staveley nature reserve nearby – and keep an eye on the skies over York.

If you want to know more about starling murmurations and how to enjoy them, explore our webpage (ywt.org.uk)

Drumming woodpeckers

Wander through a woodland in late winter or early spring and you’re likely to hear bursts of rapid, resonant tapping echoing through the trees.

This staccato sound is the work of a woodpecker on a mission.

Whilst some birds sing to attract a mate and intimidate their neighbours, woodpeckers take a different approach. They hammer their beak against a tree trunk at incredibly high speeds – up to 40 strikes per second for the great spotted woodpecker.

Great Spotted Woodpecker (Image: Bob Coyle)

When a bird finds a branch it likes, it may come back to drum against it again and again. It’s not just trees that attract them – they’ll sometimes use man-made structures, including metal poles.

There are three species of woodpecker that nest in Britain, but you are mostly likely to hear the great spotted woodpecker - our most common species, found in many woodlands and parks.

Great spotted woodpeckers are glossy black and white birds with a splash of red beneath their tail – males also have a red patch on their nape.

Their drumming is a short, explosive burst of strikes that last less than a second.

Listen out at Moorlands nature reserve or Askham Bog nature reserve on the edge of York for great spotted woodpeckers, and later into the spring at Allerthorpe Common for green woodpeckers.

Birds of Prey

Reduced cover and wintry clear blue skies provide a fantastic opportunity to watch birds of prey wheeling gracefully in the skies above our heads.

Sixteen birds of prey and four species of owl are regularly seen in Yorkshire; amongst others, look out for short eared owls on the coast in winter, and peregrine falcons on our wetlands.

For those keen to stay closer to home, you can spot raptors on our York reserves.

Red kites are identified by a forked tail and are one of our most unmistakable and now abundant birds of prey across Yorkshire.

A Red Kite in flight (Image: Elliott Neep)

They are commonly seen at Cali Heath nature reserve -– along with, for lucky and quiet visitors, the ghostly beautiful barn owl.

Peregrines often swoop down to agitate the waders roosting for the winter at Wheldrake Ings (take care the reserve isn’t flooded before you visit!) and Askham Bog is a great place to spot buzzards, kites, kestrels and sparrowhawks – amongst others!

Yorkshire is home to an incredible wealth of precious wildlife. Join as a member this year and help Yorkshire Wildlife Trust care for over 100 nature reserves – creating wilder havens for wildlife and people to enjoy. Visit www.ywt.org.uk/membership

Amy Cooper is the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's communications officer