Who visits the bird feeder?
Seed-eating and omnivorous birds can still find enough food during the winter months. Some insectivores, like the great tit, can adapt their diet to include seeds for sustenance. However, the coal tits you see at your feeders in winter might not be the same ones that nested there in the spring. While our local coal tits stick to their usual feeding habits, it’s actually coal tits from Siberia that move into the feeders. Sparrows and woodpeckers, on the other hand, are true residents and stay in the same place year-round.
Omnivorous bird
Blue jays aren't picky eaters; as visitors to the bird feeder, they'll choose the right food for themselves.
Migration Challenges
Over the past few decades, winters have become milder with less snowfall. Many birds that would typically migrate south for the winter, like crows, bramblings, and robins, now stay with us even during the cold season. Apparently, they can find enough food here, so there’s no need for the arduous journey to distant wintering grounds. One reason for this is that many species have found new food sources, often with human assistance.
Grain-eating bird
The powerful beak of the Coccothraustes indicates that it is a true seed-eater, capable of even cracking open cherry pits! They enjoy munching on unshelled sunflower seeds and chopped peanuts from bird feeders.
The End of Bird Migration?
Today, researchers don’t strictly categorize birds as either migratory or resident. Instead, they see all birds as partial migrants, meaning there are both migratory and resident individuals within the same species, and environmental conditions determine which behavior prevails.
After mild winters, resident birds can quickly occupy breeding sites and start reproducing earlier. However, migratory birds are more likely to survive harsh winters. Studies on captive warblers have shown that migratory behavior can change rapidly, with non-migratory individuals starting to migrate and vice versa. If climate warming continues, we might see a significant reduction in bird migration within a few decades.