A mild and wet winter thus far has led to some unseasonal appearances of butterflies and bees, with a bumble bee collecting pollen in my garden on New Year's Eve.  Peacock and red admiral butterflies may be seen all year round when the sun shines.  It is well worth buying some winter flowering plants if you don't have any.

The flooded levels have pushed the wading birds onto the areas higher ground, as many areas of water are too deep for birds such as snipe, lapwing and golden plover to feed.  But it is a good time to spot a barn owl hunting along the river banks and flood defences, where mice and voles have been forced to take refuge.  A day on the levels will always be well rewarded, be it a sighting of the magnificent marsh harriers hunting over the reed bed, or the exquisite bearded tits (or reedlings) feeding on the reed mace heads.

On  the fields and moors, huge flocks of lapwing (or peewit) have arrived from the north, outnumbering our dwindling native population by a factor of three to one.  At times they fill the skies, wheeling acrobatically, and mewing loudly.  They are quick to take fright, particularly if a predatory raptor appears, rising in unison from the ground, calling noisily, but soon settle again. 

An Evening on the Levels

Seeing the day out on a fine winter evening  is a very special experience on the Somerset Levels, as birds move to their roosting sites. 

Avoiding the crush at Ham Wall, which has become rather over popular due to the starling roost, you may prefer to find a spot where you can look and listen in peace.  Aller Moor across to Burrow Mump is a good area to pause and watch as hundreds of lapwing drift in silently looking for a safe place to spend the night.  Smaller flocks of golden plover will join them, and sometimes dunlin. Large flocks of starlings cross this area most evenings, often flying low, and the murmur of thousands of wings is truly extraordinary.  Snipe may flash by unseen, their rasping call giving them away. 

Warblers in winter

Most warbler species have long since flown south for the winter, but increasingly some species are remainers, taking advantage of milder, shorter winters here.  Over the past 45 years the Cetti's warbler has became a year round resident in many parts of England, and is now common where the habitat is suitable.  They like reed beds, large and small, and copses and scrub near water. Cetti's will call all year round on fine days, they are furtive warblers, but noisy, so you may be startled by their explosive call, but barely see the bird itself.  It is a very smart bird dark brown and paler underneath,  with a wide tail, rather like a large wren.

The chiff chaff is now a common over wintering warbler, not normally heard singing in the depths  of winter, but as soon as there is a hint of spring, you may hear their distinctive call.  They are pretty, delicate birds, shades of olive green with a small eye stripe and dark legs.  Very similar to the willow warbler, but this species does not normally stay for the winter months.

And the other common winter warbler is the blackcap, now regularly  seen on bird feeders and in gardens, the male with mushroom shades of brown, and a rich glossy black cap, the female a creamy brown head.  However, it is likely that the blackcaps you see may come from the continent, to replace the summer visitors that have gone south for winter.  Their exact movements are still the subject of study.