Nightingales in November (48 page)

Despite the high temperatures in the middle of August, which would theoretically result in an abundance of invertebrate food, summer and autumn can paradoxically be a time of high mortality for inexperienced birds such as juvenile Blue Tits. Deprived of the safety net that their parents provide, many young will run a high risk of either being taken by predators, or dying from starvation or disease brought about by their poor condition. With a staggering 90% of young Blue Tits thought to perish before their first birthday, those managing to survive until November will have already found their odds of reaching the following breeding season to have improved considerably.

Falling silent for just a few short weeks, the Robin's song can once again be heard from the middle of this month, as the younger birds attempt to nail down a winter territory. Distinctive for producing two different types of song, the Robin's so-called ‘winter song' which is generally heard from now until late December, tends to be far softer and more introverted than the male's full-blooded ‘spring song'. This latter song is a more strident and confident expression of territorial ownership, and is designed to convey the joint message of both intimidating neighbouring males while attracting any nearby females. Despite the ‘winter song' undoubtedly being more subtle, the message it conveys is no
less important, as it will be the key to ensuring both a meal ticket and even a lifeline right the way through the depths of winter to the following spring.

Late August

Exactly why Waxwings spread across Britain and northern Europe in some years but not others is still little more than educated guesswork amongst many ornithologists. In most years the birds will usually winter close to their breeding grounds in the taiga forests or a touch further south, where temperate forests begin to take over as the dominant biome. However, following a number of good breeding seasons, the Waxwing's population may increase quickly, causing pairs to nest further south than their normal range. The Rowan is believed to be a key species for the Waxwing to feed on during the cold, dark winter months, but it seems that the tree may alternate between good and poor fruiting years. So, when a sustained increase in the Waxwing population combines with a poor fruiting year, such as prior to the mass invasion of 2004/05, then a large number of birds will be forced further south than normal to find sufficient food.

The French ornithologists Jules Fouarge and Philippe Vandevondele carried out a study of the exceptional invasion of Waxwings across Europe during the 2004/05 winter and found that the first tell-tale signs of movement had already been noticed by the end of August. Indications of a ground swell in movement were first observed at sites like Luleå, on the shores of the Gulf of Bothnia in northern Sweden, and at Lake Ladoga, north of St Petersburg in the Russian Federation. The fact that these two watchpoints normally observe Waxwings is not exceptional, but reports of such high numbers passing through even before September seem
to provide clear evidence that Britain should prepare for a deluge of these benign invaders.

The immigration of Bewick's Swans into Britain is a far more consistent phenomenon when compared to the irregular arrival of Waxwings, but with cygnets still not yet ready to fledge, any adults with young will still be tied to the Arctic tundra for a few weeks yet. By the end of August the days of perpetual daylight in June will also have disappeared, and as the nights start closing in once more, the current darkness of around nine hours a night will quickly increase with each passing day right up to the winter solstice. As temperatues, and the hours available for foraging, begin falling quickly, it is imperative that the young fledge before the ice returns to the maritime waters of the Barents Sea.

Even for those Blue Tits summering up in the north of Scotland, the breeding season will have long since wound down, giving both adults and young plenty of time to complete their moult before the nights draw in substantially. Having started their slow annual moult possibly even before their young had left the nest, the adults, certainly in southern Britain, should by now be close to sporting a fresh new look. Having not themselves begun their partial moult until late July, it will be at least another six weeks before any southern youngsters begin to resemble their parents in the plumage stakes. Still trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible while they learn the life skills necessary, their dull plumage should not just help them avoid detection from predators keen to take advantage of their inexperience, but also ensure they don't elicit aggressive responses from adults of their own kind. As the new body feathers slowly start to appear, this grubby intermediate phase
will give the juveniles a decidedly dishevelled appearance as they're glimpsed dashing to and from garden bird feeders or skulking in the shrubbery.

Having already acquired the all-important badge of adulthood that is the red breast, those juvenile Robins hatching from early broods should by the end of the month already be actively singing and chasing other youngsters in an attempt to secure a territory. They won't have it all their own way for long though, because as soon as the adult Robins complete their own moult in September, the younger birds will suddenly be finding their mettle tested against battle-hardened veterans with previous campaign experience.

Like the Robins, Kingfishers will be desperately keen to procure and maintain a territory throughout the winter months. For those adults that have already chased their young away, giving them free reign once again over their domain, now will be the time to quietly concentrate on their moult, which should have started back in July. Taking over three months to slowly and painstakingly replace their feathers, while crucially remaining both able to fly and dive for dinner, those adults moulting later because of delayed broods may even be forced to suspend their moult for the duration of the winter. In these cases any old feathers that were retained throughout the winter are the first ones to be replaced during their annual moult the following year.

Due to the physically demanding nature of moulting, adult Tawny Owls will not want to be wasting any unnecessary
energy re-establishing territories while actively growing and replacing their most important feathers, meaning that most woodlands should be ‘hoot-free' zones until at least late September. While the moult of the body plumage might drag on as late as December, the feathers responsible for flight should by now have largely been exchanged for pristine versions, leading to the owls now turning their attention to the replacement of their tail feathers. Also in the middle of their own respective moult, those Lapwing flocks foraging amongst arable crops should begin to see easier feeding opportunities arise as crops begin to be harvested from the fields. The resultant ploughing of the stubble, in preparation for planting, should also, quite literally, unearth a multitude of invertebrates which these keen-eyed birds will be able to exploit as and when opportunities arise.