Wildlife Column with Prof Ian Rotherham

In Millhouses there are large flocks, and up to eighteen birds seen around Norfolk Park. Parakeets are also now regulars in the woods in and around Graves Park. So it wasn’t too surprising to see these spectacular birds over my garden in Norton. However, a screaming flock of eighteen was the most I have seen so far. It would be interesting to know if this phenomenon is occurring more widely –so please do let me know.

I also heard but didn’t see my first pink-footed goose flock overhead about a week ago. Again, let me know if you have seen any. It may be that with all the flooding, some birds will drop down to feed on wet grassland.

In urban areas especially, pied wagtails are coming to afternoon roosts where they gather nosily as they jostle for favoured locations of the roofs of buildings and similarly warm and secure locations.

During the day most of the wagtails disperse to places such as open grasslands in parks or on playing fields; then, as the afternoon draws on, the birds move back to their choice spots for the night. Other birds now assembling and migrating in flocks include the winter-visiting thrushes, the fieldfares and redwings, which have begun moving through the region. Groups of gulls, black-headed, lesser black-backed, and herring gulls, are also drifting overhead as they gather on pre-roost sites like playing fields and then head off en masse to join big roosts at regional sites like Rother Valley Country Park, and on reservoirs such as Carsington Water or Ogston in North Derbyshire. The numbers will probably grow over the next few months.

I’ve noticed that the small birds coming to the feeders seemed to drop for a few weeks but has now begun to grow steadily; with blue tits, coal tits, great tits, nuthatches, and the regular great spotted woodpeckers. The house sparrows are still abundant but there has been no sign of greenfinches or goldfinches.

Professor Ian D. Rotherham, of Sheffield Hallam University, researcher, writer and broadcaster on wildlife and environmental issues.