The cold spell of weather that began in December persisted until well into the New Year. Snow lay over most of Britain for almost a month. It was a hard time for many species of wildlife. Locally the numbers of small insectivorous birds, such as Wrens, Goldcrests and Stonechats appear to have declined greatly. There were reports of Woodcocks foraging in gardens and other unlikely places.  This bird managed to survive by feeding around an unfrozen patch of earth around a drain soakaway.

Bullfinches, in the Highlands, often spend the winter months feeding on the seeds of heathers. Quite large flocks of this normally woodland species can be found feeding well above the treeline.

Whooper Swans

Occasionally King Eider ducks turn up in the Common Eider flocks wintering around the Scottish coast. They are vagrants from the high arctic often returning to the same location in successive winters.