Interesting facts about wintering birds are short. Photo report “Wintering birds of our region”

Jackdaw. Photo: Vasily Vishnevsky

Stylish "thing"

The plumage color of the jackdaw (Corvus monedula) can be described as "wet asphalt". Very elegant! This bird is a real hollow nester among corvids. This circumstance helps her successfully survive severe frosts. While the crows sit and shiver from the cold on a tree branch, the jackdaws climb into some windless, or, if you’re lucky, warm place. Stronger and larger birds sometimes offend the jackdaw, but she bears it stoically.

Goshawk. Photo: Vasily Vishnevsky

In the hunting grounds

Birds of prey, despite their “sinister craft,” evoke involuntary admiration. In the summer, it happens that they even look into our gardens without invitation. But how are things going with them in winter?

"Sailor in a vest"

Have you noticed how sometimes the edge of the forest next to your garden calms down - as if before a thunderstorm? There are a few seconds of silence, and then the ubiquitous crows try to restore order with their screams. This means: a goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) has flown out to hunt. A large, two-kilogram bird quickly flew at a height of some ten meters. One could even see the gray back and the dapper white cross-striped chest - like the vest of a gallant sailor.

Most birds of prey - from small falcons to the largest eagles - are migratory. But hawks often stay. Moreover, as is the case with other species of birds, adults usually turn out to be homebodies, but young birds roam widely. Predators also have one peculiarity: their males are smaller than their females. Therefore, in order to avoid competition with the larger “lady,” they fly away along with the younger generation.

Not every year, but adult sparrowhawks (A. nisus) also remain to spend the winter over the winter. This predator is a half-size copy of the goshawk. These small hawks feed on any living creature. A sparrowhawk settling near your feeder can cause many sad moments for your feathered guests.

Sparrow owl. Photo: Vasily Vishnevsky

"Night Witches"

Danger can lie in wait for small wintering birds not only during the day, but also at night, when owls rule. Most night hunters fly to warmer regions for the winter. But some of them remain.

A fairly large tawny owl (Strix aluco) can quite easily overpower prey the size of a crow. And our smallest owl, the pygmy owl (Glaucidium passerinum), is a real threat to tit flocks. It is interesting that in other years the tawny owl begins nesting in winter. It was recorded that her chicks were discovered, fully fledged, already at the end of February. This means that the eggs were laid sometime between Christmas and Epiphany! The pygmy owl (namely an owl, not an owl - this is a completely scientific name for a genus of birds) does not perform such feats with winter reproduction, but postpones this most important “event” until better times - until May.

Around and around

When I think about hawks and owls, I feel worried about the visitors to our feeder. Wouldn't it be better to return home? Moreover, on the way back we will probably come across other birds wintering in the vicinity of the dacha.

Woodpecker. Photo: Vasily Vishnevsky

"Snitches"

That's right: the first thing we see is the Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major). This is the most common type among us - it is always in sight: both in summer and winter! Along with him, as a royal retinue, is a mixed flock of tits, chickadees, grenadiers, and our smallest birds, the kinglets (Regulus regulus), who have lingered with us. Each such crumb weighs a little more than a five-ruble coin. Tits in comparison seem almost giants. But in winter, only a few belated individuals are found. Still, the place of kings is in the southern regions.

But the pika (Certhia familiaris) is a common bird in the winter forest. What she is doing in the company of a flock of tits and a woodpecker is not entirely clear. Usually pikas stay solitary and are also distinguished by non-standard behavior. They do not jump on branches, like all normal birds, but exclusively “crawl” along the tree trunk, examining all the cracks and crevices in the bark and removing hibernating insects from there. Moreover, they move “upside down,” that is, from the top of the tree to its base.

Pika. Photo: From personal archive/ Vasily Vishnevsky

By the way, unlike the great spotted woodpecker, many species of woodpeckers are migratory. For example, green and gray woodpeckers, inhabitants of deciduous forests, fly from us to southern Europe. Such lovers of the velvet season, who decided to fly to Nice for six months! But the largest of our woodpeckers, the black or yellow woodpecker (Dryocopus martius), remains with us. Big, simply huge, almost larger in size than a crow, it flies heavily, as if emphasizing its size and importance. The loud guttural cry of a woman often makes her flinch in surprise. Even if you have never seen the bird itself, you have most likely discovered traces of its vital activity: huge holes in the trunks of thick fir trees. This is how he looks for woodworm larvae.

The flute. Photo: Vasily Vishnevsky

Handsome guys

On the way back, right in front of us, a flock of waxwings flew down from a tall old rowan tree, the branches of which were bent with many berries. These large, bright birds with a perky crest and luminous yellow spots on the tail spend the summer in the forest-tundra, far to the north. They also breed there, feeding their chicks almost exclusively on mosquitoes and midges. But as adults they become exclusively berry-eating. Their cheerful flocks in winter are often found in the vicinity of holiday villages, where there is something to eat.

Sometimes on the same mountain ash tree, if you are very lucky, you can see a beautiful bee-eater (Pinicola enucleator). From time immemorial, long-time bird catchers have revered it as a “red bird.” Anyone who caught a skar was considered a real ace. This bird truly has all the necessary qualities to join the elite of the bird world. Firstly, the gar is larger than the bullfinch. Secondly, it flaunts its coloring - there are individuals with bright crimson, carmine, brick, and orange breasts. In addition, schurs have good vocal abilities. And yet - they are rare. They have always been rare.

Spruce crossbill. Photo: Vasily Vishnevsky

One cannot help but remember the crossbills. That's who the winter resident is! Almost the only bird that is not at all afraid of winter cold. Crossbills manage to raise chicks in the midst of frost! The fact is that they feed almost 100% on the seeds of coniferous trees. Moreover, the spruce crossbill gets them, according to its name, from spruce cones, and the pine crossbill, accordingly, feeds on pine seeds. And there is also the white-winged crossbill, which also gravitates towards Christmas trees. But they will all enjoy the seeds on your feeder with great pleasure.

Did you know?

Tap dancing. Photo: Vasily Vishnevsky

Originals

Quite often, representatives of the feathered kingdom such as the greenfinch, goldfinch, siskin, and tap dancer remain throughout the winter, especially if it is mild. And they usually arrive from their wintering grounds very early - it seems as if they never flew away at all. But, perhaps, due to general warming, you are no longer surprised to see these birds during the New Year holidays.

Some other birds, which do not winter with us at all, sometimes began to stay. The blackbird (Turdus merula) has long been resident in Scandinavia and Great Britain. It seems that this trend has reached us. The sayings known from childhood that “the rook is a spring bird” and “the starling is the herald of spring” may soon lose their relevance. In one place or another you can see these birds right in the middle of winter!

We, of course, do not know what the feathered population of our cities, forests and gardens will be like in the future. But, you see, the birds around us make this world more pleasant and diverse. Whether it's a sky-blackening flock of waxwings or just a couple of cooing pigeons.

The bullfinch is a bird well known to many. He's a little bigger than a sparrow. Males are striking from a distance with their bright red coloration on the underside of their body. Females have a more modest outfit: their head, wings and tail are black, like the males, but the lower part is gray. On the sunny days of February, you can often hear the soft, creaky song of the bullfinch, which is a leisurely, hoarse whistle played in different tones. In bullfinches, not only males sing, but also females, which is generally not typical for songbirds.

With the onset of autumn, bullfinches begin to appear more and more often in personal plots. With a quiet, hoarse whistling (whew...whee) they sit down on a rowan tree and slowly begin to eat their favorite food. Bullfinches are respectable birds, they don’t fuss, they don’t rush. They are also knights: males. No matter how hungry they are, they will always give up the best bunches of rowan to the female. Having calmly processed one tree, the flock flies to the next one. And he does this at the command of the leader: he will slightly raise his wings. He will show everyone (to do this he will jump on a branch and turn in different directions) a white spot on his lower back. This is the command: Take flight! and the birds obey strictly.

If you carefully observe how bullfinches eat rowan berries, you will see that they throw away the pulp of the berry and eat only the seeds. Therefore, under the tree on which the bullfinches fed, you can always find rowan berries with the middle eaten out. Bullfinches can also be seen feeding on ash or maple trees. Seeds of horse sorrel and wormwood are also collected. Because of their slowness, bullfinches often fall into the clutches of a cat.

Summer will come, and the bullfinches will fly into the forest, there, in May, the bullfinches build nests. They weave them from dry grass on fir trees or cedars. These are cautious and timid birds. If they are disturbed, they easily abandon nests full of clutches. The clutch is incubated by the female. The male takes care of her nutrition. He feeds the female with various insects, seeds collected on branches and in the grass. After leaving the nest, broods of young bullfinches gather in places rich in berries and seeds.

During autumn migrations, they fly into gardens where there are weeds, and it happens that they feed there for several days. In late autumn, together with the young ones, they will appear in the city after the first powder. It’s not for nothing that they are called bullfinches - they come with snow.

tits

The tit family is widespread in Eurasia, with small numbers living in North America and Africa. There are 65 species in total, consisting of 10 genera.

The great tit is the most common tit in our district, one of the largest representatives of the family, its body length is 130-165 mm, weight is about 20 g.

The tit catches our eye more often in the fall. She spends the summer in the forests, where she builds a nest in the hollows of old trees. From morning to evening, without stopping for a minute, she flies and flutters from tree to tree, from branch to branch, searching everything, inspecting everything. Climbing, tumbling, hanging upside down, clinging to the thin tip of a branch - the tit is a great master.

Her strong legs, equipped with very sharp and sharply curved claws, serve her as an excellent weapon. Her wings are short, as if severed.

Tits are useful to our forests; they destroy caterpillars during the nesting period, as well as eggs and pupae of insects. The tit collects 500-600 caterpillars per day. A pair of titmice, settling in a garden, can protect up to 40 fruit trees from harmful insects. Even in the cold of December, flocks of tits carefully examine tree after tree in search of wintering insects. It’s not for nothing that flocks of tits are called the winged police of the forest.

Tits nest in hollows or in birdhouses, which are sometimes hung in the forest. Tit chicks are hatched twice a year. The brood in the first period of life usually consists of 10-12 chicks. Tits are also associated with some sins: they sometimes destroy the nests of small songbirds.

The main enemy of our lovely birds is the jay bird and harsh winter. Their thick, fluffy plumage, which is an excellent warm coat for birds, perfectly protects them from severe cold. In the most severe frosts, tits huddle in hollows or crevices and sleep, huddled closely together. It turns out to be a fluffy ball with tails sticking out in different directions. It is, of course, warmer to sleep this way. Much more dangerous than cold for tits is snow and frost, which cover tree branches with a thick layer and deprive tits of the opportunity to feed.

The tit is not a migratory bird, but sometimes wanders very far. Tits ringed near Moscow were caught even in Italy

In addition to the great tit, chickadees, small birds of the tit family, winter with us; they have a black or brown cap, white sides of the head, a dark throat and a light underside. Body length 11.5 - 15 cm, weight 9 - 12 g. Birds live in the forest, outside of which they are found only during migrations. They feed on various insects, in winter they eat seeds of spruce, pine, and fir. In autumn, they store food in cracks in the bark and branches of the middle part of the crown of coniferous trees. There are 2 species in the area. The brown-headed chickadee, or chickadee, nests in all areas, in all types of forests, including floodplain small-leaved ones. A sedentary, partially nomadic bird, the most numerous species of tits. Unlike other species of tits, they often hollow out hollows themselves in trees with soft wood that easily rots in natural conditions (aspen, alder, birch), which are subsequently used by other small birds - hollow nesters (tits, flycatchers, etc.). The gray-headed chickadee nests in hollows, but the female does not hollow them out, but occupies natural or ready-made hollows of woodpeckers or other tits. One of the few insectivorous birds that winter at the northern border of the taiga. a rare species, lives in spruce, larch forests, and pine forests. From September to March, birds migrate first in small family flocks, and then join mixed flocks of tits. Quite silent, the voice is similar to the voice of a brown-headed tit, and the alarming cry is similar to the voice of a great tit. They bring great benefits by destroying huge numbers of insects - pests of coniferous trees. Subject to protection.

Blue tits are birds of the tit warbler family. Body length is 11 - 15 cm. Males and females are colored the same; they differ from other members of the family in their blue tones. The beak is short. The district is represented by one species: the blue tit, or princeling - an active bird that inhabits floodplain bushes and forests with dense undergrowth, swampy areas of deciduous forest overgrown with shrubs, willows, overgrown damp areas of lowlands and swamps. Relatively regularly observed in wintering grounds in the vicinity of Khanty-Mansiysk. It feeds on insects and, in winter, on birch and spruce seeds. It collects food on the branches of trees, and in winter it pecks at the stems of horse sorrel, panicles of reeds, and umbellifers. Autumn migrations are observed in the second half of September - early October. It is beneficial by destroying insects - forest pests.

Moscow, black tit. Body length 11 - 12 cm, weight about 9 g. In the region, it nests in most of its territory to the north to the Vakha basin, the upper reaches of the Tromyegan, and the Malaya Sosva nature reserve (autumn and winter meetings of birds are known also to the north). A common but not numerous sedentary species. It feeds mainly on insects, and in winter on coniferous seeds, and plant foods are consumed to a greater extent, unlike other species of tits. It searches for and collects food on the terminal shoots of trees, hangs from cones, and inspects the forest floor or snow. Stores food for the winter, but because... Muscovite usually migrates; the reserves are consumed by birds arriving from the northern regions. It is beneficial by destroying pests of coniferous trees.

Waxwings

In late autumn or winter, flocks of quite large and very beautiful birds sometimes appear on city streets.

Having settled in the trees, they seem to look around for a while, chirping quietly and melodiously. And suddenly the chirping is interrupted by a loud, sharp scream. Apparently, it was for this cry that the birds got their name - waxwings. In the old Russian language, waxing meant: whistling or shouting loudly and sharply.

Waxwings do not fly away, even when approached close to them. They don’t fly away not because they want people to take a better look at their perky large crests on their heads, beautiful plumage or unusual decorations: shiny, bright corals - keratinized scales in the form of falling drops on their feathers. No, it’s just that in the forest-tundra and taiga - in those places where waxwings nest - people don’t touch them. And the birds are used to trusting them. They trust them even when visiting. In the middle latitudes, where people fly to warm up: after all, it’s warm here, compared to what’s going on at this time in their homeland! And there is much more food here.

Waxwings feed on berries, in particular they love rowan. If there are a lot of rowan trees, they will stay; if there are few, they will fly further south. And closer to spring, on the way home. Will appear again.

Now it has become clear. Where and why waxwings appear. And once upon a time, the appearance of these birds in the middle of winter caused a lot of talk and was considered a bad omen. Even zoologists could not explain where waxwings come from and why. Their nesting sites were not known. The nest of this bird was first discovered in Lapland only in the middle of the last century.

And it is no coincidence that the German scientist A. Brem began his story about the waxwing this way: The extraordinary has always been considered a miracle, for the miraculous begins where understanding ends.

In the spring, waxwings return to their homeland - to the forest-tundra, to the taiga. They build their nests there - massive structures. In which chicks are hatched and fed insects (usually there are five of them). In two weeks of feeding, waxwings destroy a huge number of six-legged animals, especially bloodsuckers. These are extremely useful. And during the rest of the year, although they feed on berries, they bring undoubted benefits by dispersing plants.

Sparrow

Sparrow - there is no other bird that makes as much noise as a sparrow. They shout, quarrel, bawl over every trifle - it’s impossible without this. Sparrows provide great benefits and should therefore be protected rather than persecuted.

Many people do not even suspect that in our country there are not one, but two types of sparrows: urban and field, or village. They can be distinguished by their appearance. The village sparrow is smaller than the city sparrow, but is more elegantly dressed. He has black spots on his white cheeks and a brown cap on his head.

Once upon a time, sparrows were inhabitants of southern countries. They are dressed too lightly for our winter frosts and cannot spend the night in the open air in winter. That's why they stay close to human habitation. And they build themselves a winter nest under the eaves of houses, in attics, and in livestock buildings.

In winter, sparrows are silent and rarely speak. In the morning they feed, then bask somewhere in a warm place, then feed again, and before dusk they rush to their warm nests for the night. And if someone takes someone else's place. Fights break out with chirps and squeaks. If, before sunset, several dozen sparrows, gathered on a tree, chirp vigorously, according to folk signs, frost is approaching.

Sparrows make nests more often in human buildings, less often in hollows and earthen burrows. The sparrow's nest is loose, lined with feathers, down, and wool. Usually the same pair occupies the same nest for several years. In the nest, sparrows lay 5-6 white eggs with purple spots; after 11-13 days, chicks are born. They are fed by both parents. Mainly insects, earthworms. On sunny days they chase dragonflies and butterflies. While guarding the nest, the male often enters into fights with other sparrows flying by. After 10-11 days, the chicks fly out of the nest, leave the parental home and gather in yard flocks. Under the supervision of 2-3 old men, they feed on young grass, rest on fences, and spend the night in dense trees. Birds feed on the outskirts of cities, where there are thickets of nettles, wormwood, and quinoa.

It happens that sparrows cause harm to humans, pecking at fruits in gardens, and damaging grain crops. But the benefits from them are still greater than the harm. And when China decided to exterminate tree sparrows, the number of harmful insects increased many times.

By the beginning of autumn, when the worries about the kids are over, the sparrows gather in large flocks and stay close to human dwellings all winter, until the onset of spring.

The sparrow is the first visitor to the feeders. He is very smart - he lives next to a person. But it is more difficult to catch than many wild birds.

Crows

There is, perhaps, no bird in the world with a more gloomy reputation. In folk tales and legends, she is both wise and cunning, but very rarely kind. But he often acts as a fortune teller. Why the raven has such a reputation is difficult to say. Maybe because of the appearance? Really,

Ravens are massive, large birds (some weigh up to one and a half kilograms) with large black beaks and are completely black themselves. Maybe this is the reason? But there are a lot of black animals, and no one is afraid of them (the exception is black cats, but there are other reasons). It is said that the raven, because it feeds on carrion, has a premonition of the death of animals. And at the same time he can call her out. Not convincing either. There are many animals that feed exclusively on carrion, but they are not afraid, but ravens, which feed not only on carrion, are afraid. But the fact is a fact: ravens are disliked and feared. But these birds are amazing!

It is believed that all raven relatives (crows and jackdaws, jays and rooks, nutcrackers and magpies) are the smartest birds. And among the relatives, the smartest is the raven.

Legends tell about his intelligence. And the experiments carried out by scientists confirmed: these birds are truly outstanding. Crows found a way out of situations in which not only other birds, but also many mammals would be at a dead end, they solved problems that were puzzling for animals and amazed people more than once.

But not only in intelligence, but also in character, these birds are unusual. No, crows are not gloomy, as they are said to be. The young are easily tamed, know and love their owners, many are capable of onomatopoeia and often reproduce human speech. And in their affections they are distinguished by constancy.

Crows form pairs for life. And since these birds live a long time (three hundred years, as popular rumor says, is unlikely, but they live up to seventy), many could celebrate golden weddings. They show the same constancy in relation to nests. Crows have two nests: they settle in each after a year and can occupy them for decades, regularly repairing or adding to them. The raven nests on inaccessible rocks and tall trees. The crow's house is large in size and can support the weight of an adult. Birds build their homes from large branches and grass, the central part is coated with clay and insulated with a thick layer of wool, pieces of animal skins and other soft materials. They are the first among all birds (except for crossbills) to begin building nests and preparing for breeding. The snow has not yet completely melted, but the female is already sitting on her eggs. The raven is always there, leaving only to get food for himself and his friend. At the beginning of spring, the chicks hatch, and the parents carry food to the voracious offspring for three weeks.

They are also attached to their chicks (ravens often have four to six of them), and the children reciprocate - once they become adults, they do not leave their parents for a long time.

These birds are excellent flyers. It seems that they have no equal in this. While playing, they rapidly rush through the air, dive with half-folded wings, make turns, loops, corkscrews, candles and other aerobatics.

The raven is able to soar for hours, looking for food for its family from above. Crows are primarily predators and scavengers. They are masters of both: they hunt well and have an excellent ability to detect carrion. In the first case, they destroy many rodent pests of fields and forests, in the second, they clear the forests of the corpses of dead and dead animals that could become sources of various epidemics, for which he is called a natural orderly.

Jay

The crow's younger sister, the jay, belongs to the same family. Lives in the forest all year round, making small migrations in winter to forest parks and to the outskirts of populated areas. The color of the jay is bright, the general background is red, the wings and tail are black, and there are blue and white mirrors on the bend of the wing. The voice of this noisy bird is a sharp gee...gee...gee, loud keey...keey-keey. Singing is a patter of various sounds, including various imitated sounds: the voices of birds, the barking of a dog, the creaking of a door. She has a strong black beak with a tooth at the end, and sharp claws on her feet.

Like all corvids, it feeds on plant and animal food. Jay food - spruce and sunflower seeds, oat grains. In summer, she catches beetles, hornets, lizards, mice, frogs, and attacks the chicks of other birds. In the fall, it stores food for the winter, mainly acorns and cedar seeds, and in winter it will give them out from under the snow. When there is an abundance of food, it makes significant reserves in the forest litter and tree hollows. The nest is hidden in the forest, located in the middle part of the crown of a tree or tall bush. For construction, he uses thin branches, roots and grass, and lines the tray with wool. Both birds build their nests in trees from twigs. 5-8 eggs laid in April are incubated for 17 days. At the age of 20 days, the chicks leave the nest.

It stays hidden near the nest, so it is difficult to see the jay family.

Magpie

White-sided magpie is the friendliest nickname for this bird. But she’s also a chatterbox, a gossip, a thief, and even a robber.

Of course, there are some reasons for such offensive nicknames. Not a single forest incident is complete without a magpie - it will definitely appear, look at everything, find out, and immediately rush off to notify the entire area. Well, isn't she a gossip? And what annoyance magpies sometimes cause hunters! The magpie does not take a single step away from a man with a gun, it chatters without stopping, informing animals and birds about the danger.

It’s not for nothing that the magpie is called a thief - it loves to grab what’s lying badly. And edibles would be nice. And then she drags nails, and coins, and keys, and bright pieces of paper, and fragments of colored glass into the nest... and it’s not for nothing that they call her a robber: either she will raid someone else’s nest, or she will grab a chicken, or she will manage the melon patch.

People know this well. But they don’t know much else. Because this ratchet doesn't really reveal its secrets to people. For example, she spins and spins in front of everyone, but she hides the nest in such a way that even an experienced hunter will not always find it. But if he finds it, he’s unlikely to guess. That this shapeless pile of branches on a tree is an excellent architectural structure, made to last. Thick twigs and branches are fastened with grass and cemented with clay, the entrance is plastered, the interior decoration is made of thin twigs, the nest is lined with wool, moss, and dry blades of grass. On top, magpies build a roof of thick twigs and branches. True, such a roof does not protect from rain, but it protects perfectly from predators. And very few people know that these frivolous gossips are friendly and faithful spouses. They build the nest together, and when the female sits on the eggs, the male is always nearby on guard. The chicks are born so weak and helpless that the mother does not leave them for the first days, warming them all the time. And the male brings them food. Then both parents feed the voracious and loud-mouthed magpies.

The spouses do not part with each other even in winter - they fly together to human habitation, chat and gossip together, and in early spring they return to the nest to repair it and prepare it for future offspring: in March the female already lays eggs. And the usual chores begin. So they don’t have much time left for robbery and theft. But magpies have time to do good deeds - all spring, summer, and autumn they destroy a large number of insects and rodents. They destroy so much that they cover many times the harm that they sometimes cause.

Here's a white-sided magpie for you! By the way, it really is white-sided: its white feathers are always clean and smooth. Somehow the magpie manages not to get dirty in any conditions.

Shchur

These birds of taiga forests are not often encountered by hobbyists, since they migrate in the central regions in the autumn-winter, and migrations occur in large numbers only in some years. Large. About the size of a starling, the male bee-eater is very elegant; the head, neck, chest and back are orange-red, and in older individuals - crimson; wings and tail are grayish-black; The white outer webs of the flight feathers and wing coverts form two rows of longitudinal stripes. In juveniles and females, the main background of the plumage is grayish-orange. For its short, hook-shaped beak curved in front, the common bee-eater received the name Finnish parrot. The tail is slightly notched. In winter, shuras, uniting in flocks, migrate gradually to the south and stick to coniferous forests. The food of the pike-perch consists mainly of seeds of coniferous trees. Nests. Twisted from coniferous branches, from stems and lichens, placed on the branches near the trunk. A complete clutch consists of 3-4 greenish-blue eggs with dark spots. The common bee-eater is a circumpolar bird, the indigenous inhabitants of the coniferous taiga, even its northern outskirts. In Russia, they nest on the Kola Peninsula, near the White Sea, on the lower Pechora, and beyond the Urals - throughout Northern Siberia to Kamchatka and in the cedar forests of the Baikal region and Altai.

Goldfinch

The goldfinch is a very active bird that does not stay in one place for a long time, sings a lot, especially during an inviting flight, and, of course, attracts attention. The goldfinch does not like to sit on the ground; it prefers to fly.

The goldfinch is distinguished by its red, black and yellow coloration; it can hardly be confused with any other bird.

In autumn and winter, flocks of goldfinches wander from field to field, through abandoned meadows and fields, where they collect seeds of thistles, burdocks and other weeds, or they deftly climb the thinnest branches of birch and alder, taking seeds from small cones. Some goldfinches roam near nesting sites. The rest go on long journeys to the south of Europe in October-November. From there they return in March-April and settle in an open landscape with woody vegetation, gardens, and alleys. And also in rare deciduous and mixed forests. Goldfinches make most nests on deciduous, often fruit trees, usually at the end of a branch, away from the trunk. The female uses light roots, dry grass, moss and various grasses as building material. Then she covers the nests with cobwebs from the surrounding trees. There are 4 - 5 eggs in a clutch. In a nest covered with down, wool, horsehair and feathers, the female incubates the eggs alone, giving the male the opportunity to take care of food for her. The male stays close to the nest all the time, diligently feeds his girlfriend and sings songs to her. The song is a beautiful ringing trill (more than 20 variants), consisting of loud exclamations, whistles, knocking and crackling sounds with a slowing rhythm. After the chicks hatch, the male also helps the female feed the offspring.

white owl

Owls are called feathered cats because they destroy hordes of rodents. A sharp hooked beak, long claws, large eyes and keen hearing help in catching prey. They hunt at dusk and at night. These are rare and beautiful birds that require careful treatment and widespread protection.

A white owl nests in the tundra. But during the long polar night it is difficult to obtain food, and it migrates further south. It is found in winter in open areas: in fields, near swamps, in forest-steppe areas, near power lines. They say that an owl calls when it's cold. The owl's eyes are motionless and located not on the sides of the head, but in front, so the owl has to turn its head in different directions. But it is convenient for her to determine the distance to the victim. The owl rests during the day and flies at night. Owls see well day and night. They have very sensitive hearing. More than a hundred meters away, an owl hears the rustle of a mouse running by. Owls do not build their own nests, but occupy hollows and other people’s homes. The owl is listed in the Red Book.

Owl

The eagle owl is the largest owl in our region. The color is red, the eyes are orange, and there are tufts of ear feathers on the head. Lives in a deep forest, far from populated areas. The hooting and laughter of eagle owls can be heard for several kilometers. The nest is located on a rocky ledge, in the shelter of dense branches, under a fallen tree. Incubation begins in early spring, with a clutch of up to five white eggs. The number of chicks in the brood directly depends on the amount of food. Eagle owls feed on mouse-like rodents, gophers, chipmunks, hares, hazel grouse, and wood grouse. The species is especially protected, small in number, and included in the Red Book of Russia.

Tawny Owl

Tawny owls are a genus of the owl family. Large forest owls without ears. Body length is from 30 to 84 cm. The facial disc is well developed. The beak is high, laterally compressed. The fingers are feathered. Of the 12 species in the district - 2.

The great gray owl is the largest (body length 60 - 70 cm) owl with a dark motley color, yellow eyes, and a black spot under the beak. The Great Gray Owl inhabits old forests, forest swamps, and taiga thickets. It flies relatively slowly. It hunts in the evening and at night, and in winter, on cloudy days, sometimes during the day. It feeds mainly on mouse-like rodents, sometimes attacks medium-sized birds - cuckoos, hazel grouse, etc. It uses old nests of birds of prey for nesting. There are four to five white eggs in the clutch. Incubation lasts about a month, the male feeds the female, bringing prey to the nest. These owls selflessly protect the chicks; near the nest they can even attack a bear and a person.

The long-tailed or Ural owl nests in all areas. In autumn and winter in some years, some individuals migrate to the south of the district. This type of owl is slightly smaller than the previous one. The color of the plumage is gray with streaks, the eyes are black, the tail is long, clearly visible from a distance. It is often found near human habitation. Owls hunt at dusk; in winter, they often fly during the day, when predators look for prey from above. The flight is smooth, silent, the long tail sags downward during flight. Tawny owls inhabit any forest, staying near forest edges, clearings and other open places. Nests are located in hollows, half-hollows or in old nests of large birds. A clutch appears in early spring of three to four eggs. The male feeds the brooding female near the nest. The tawny owl feeds on rodents and small animals up to the size of hazel grouse.

Kedrovka

The nutcracker, or nutcracker, is a bird slightly larger than a jackdaw, with dark brownish-brown plumage decorated with whitish spots on the tops of the feathers. The bird is widespread in taiga forests. In fruitful years, the number of nutcrackers increases and they successfully survive the winter. In lean years, most birds leave their homeland, and those that remain to spend the winter without food lead a hungry existence. In search of food, they sometimes end up near landfills or in populated areas.

When the nut ripens, nutcrackers store it from morning to evening. They take only full nuts from the cones, leaving empty ones. They carry nuts to their pantries in special bags that can hold up to 100 pieces. Nuts are usually buried in piles of up to 20-30 pieces under moss, at the bottom of an ice-free swamp stream.

The reserves begin to be used as soon as snow falls. But those nuts that the nutcracker does not find are not wasted: they give rise to new cedars, so these birds help the tree to spread and occupy new areas.

In autumn, nutcrackers are noisy, and in spring they are silent. During nesting time, they stay hidden in remote areas of the forest. The nest is built together, over 8 - 10 days, from dry branches, pieces of rotten stumps, lichens, and grasses. It turns out warm and dense, since during this period there is still a lot of snow in the forest and it can be cold. Incubation lasts 18 - 20 days. For about 10 days, the parents take turns warming the chicks and feeding them pine nut kernels. After 24-25 days, the chicks begin independent life. During the flowering of bird cherry, you can meet summer broods of nutcrackers. And by the time the pine nuts ripen, the young are already indistinguishable from their parents.

Man has been studying nature for a long time and persistently and penetrates even the most revealing secrets. And yet, nature constantly presents him with surprises where, it would seem, there is nothing to expect. It seems that everything is clear on some issue, everything has been calculated, measured, verified. And then it turns out that everything is wrong, everything is the other way around. This happens both in large issues and in private ones, as, for example, with the nutcracker bird. There seems to be nothing to think about here: this bird feeds on pine nuts and eats a lot of them. This alone is bad. But she also makes storage rooms in hollows, in the ground, and under moss - stocking up on food for the winter. And she has more than one closet.

Well, everything is clear: the nutcracker steals the nuts. Both squirrels and other inhabitants of the taiga, for whom nuts are an important product, get much less. It was even believed that where there are a lot of nutcrackers, the number of squirrels decreases. This means that the nutcracker is a harmful bird.

But relatively recently it became clear: the nutcracker not only does not harm, but in many ways it is thanks to this bird that cedar forests exist at all.

Nutcrackers are indeed very thrifty, but also very forgetful. They get to some of their storerooms in winter, even making deep tunnels in the snow to do this. But others are forgotten or cannot be found. And now, in blind clearings and burnt areas, young shoots of cedar pine appear. Where did they come from? Who planted them? It turns out that it is nutcracker! Foresters believe that the regeneration of cedar in burnt areas is the merit of nutcrackers alone. Trees appear from sown, that is, hidden and not used by the bird, nuts.

But nutcrackers feed not only on the seeds of coniferous trees; they also readily eat insects. The chicks are also fed insects. There are usually three or four chicks. Nutcrackers incubate, feed and raise their offspring in remote parts of the forest. At this time, birds lead a hidden lifestyle. But the chicks have grown up, and in any part of the coniferous taiga, where there is cedar, pine, spruce, you can see these birds.

Crossbills

Crossbill - settles only in coniferous forests. Crossbills nest on spruce and pine trees; they feed on spruce and pine seeds and feed their chicks. The ends of the upper and lower parts of the beak of crossbills intersect. This structure allows them to easily bend the tightly pressed scales of the cone and remove the seeds from under them.

Walking through the forest, you can see how from time to time cones fall from the fir trees. These are crossbills having breakfast. In some cases, while obtaining seeds, they hang upside down on the cones. In others, they pick off cones and sit with them on thick branches. During the short winter period, red-breasted crossbills sort through many cones, but do not completely clean each one.

In fruitful years, crossbills live all year round in the same place and even nest in winter. When building a winter nest, crossbills make it massive and thick so that it does not freeze. Both parents build the nest, but the male brings more building material. They place the nest closer to the trunk, under good protection of an overhanging branch, at a height of 2-10 meters.

The clutch consists of 4-5 eggs, incubating from the first egg. The female sits on the nest without leaving for 13-14 days until the chicks appear. The pubescent ones are much better. Than in birds of other species. The whole family is first fed by one male father with seeds softened in the crop, of which up to 200 pieces accumulate, then the female joins him. Chicks that fly out of the nest initially have a beak without crossing ends, so they cannot get seeds from the cones for some time and their parents continue to feed them.

The most common species in our area is the spruce crossbill. It is small (slightly larger than a sparrow). Brightly colored bird: old males are crimson-red, females are greenish-yellow. Young birds are brown with dark oblong streaks below. During the years when spruce seeds are harvested, these birds appear in large numbers; in lean years, they are almost invisible - they migrate to other areas rich in food.

Crossbills usually live in flocks of 15-20 birds. Most often we see them flying over the forest. They fly in an undulating flight, all the time calling to each other in high, abrupt voices: tick-tick-tick. When the crossbills sit on the top of the spruce tree, hung with cones, and start feeding, their voice becomes lower, clattering: tsk-tsk-tsk. Sometimes crossbills also feed on pines and larches.

Nuthatch

Many people know this bird. A small, short-tailed bird with a bluish back, white belly, red sides and a black stripe running across the eye. She always amazes with her ability to quickly climb tree trunks in any direction. The nuthatch's paws and toes are very strong and mobile and are armed with sharp, steeply curved claws.

The nuthatch's beak is long and sharp. A nuthatch can even crush a hazelnut with it. He rarely chisels the bark, but he checks all the cracks in the bark, and picks out other cracks.

Nuthatch chicks do not crawl out of the hollow prematurely. They sit there until their wings grow. The chick will get out of the hollow and immediately fly.

Before you see the nuthatch, you can hear the characteristic cry of this bird, twut-twut-twut or sit-sit-sit, then you can find the bird itself by the voice.

Nuthatches live mainly in deciduous forests. There are especially many of them in oak forests. In the northern regions, nuthatches nest almost exclusively in parks where there are deciduous trees. For nesting, hollows with a very narrow entrance hole are chosen. If the entrance to the hollow is wide, the nuthatch narrows it, coating the edges with clay. Breeds early. Chicks usually leave the nest in late May - early June.

This bird is usually lively, while singing it sits motionless in a visible place, from time to time producing a very loud, extended, rather low-pitched whistle, repeated several times in a row kui-kui-kui.... Apparently, it is precisely for this powerful Whistling, the people called the nuthatch a coachman.

Yellow-headed wren

They are the smallest birds in our hemisphere. Only in the Western Hemisphere are there birds smaller than kings - hummingbirds. Therefore, kinglets are sometimes even called northern hummingbirds. The yellow-headed wren has a distinctive pattern on the top of its head and a compact build; the top is gray-green, the bottom is whitish, with a brownish-yellow tint. The cap on the male's head is decorated with an orange longitudinal stripe (yellow in the female), bordered on the sides with black. Juveniles do not have multi-colored head decoration.

These birds are typical inhabitants of coniferous forests, including quite harsh ones. But kinglets are hardy birds. They are not afraid of winter frosts, and often in the forest in winter you can hear and see a thin squeak. How kings fly from tree to tree. It is difficult to see them from a distance, but up close their bright crests are clearly visible. These crests, which the birds sometimes raise and then lower, gave them a name. When the birds raise their crests, it looks like they have crowns on their heads. Crowns, as you know, belong to kings. But the birds are very small, they can’t catch the kings. What kind of kings are there if they are smaller than dragonflies? So, kings.

True, there is such a legend. Once upon a time, the birds decided to choose as their king the one who would rise highest into the air. Of course, the eagle rose highest. But when he, making sure that his rivals remained far below, was about to descend, a small bird jumped out from under his wing and rose higher than everyone else.

However, a commission chaired by a wise owl noticed the deception and, of course, the eagle was declared the king of birds. And the deceiver received the playful nickname little king.

Legend is legend, and kinglets, if, for example, they need to fly from one forest to another, they rise to such a height that other small birds do not rise to. And on trees they are almost always at the tops of the crowns. The kings spend whole days scurrying around there, examining every crevice, every crevice. In winter, the days are short, and you need to have time to eat, and in order to eat, you need to find insect larvae hiding somewhere, overwintering eggs. And the hard work of the kinglets is rewarded: where other birds despair of finding anything edible, the kinglets find food. During the day, the wren eats six to seven grams of insects and their larvae - that much. How much does he weigh? This means that in a year he will eat more than three kilograms or approximately eight million small insects, their eggs and larvae.

In summer there is also a lot of trouble. The nest of the kinglet is spherical in shape, made of moss, compacted with fibers, hairs, cobwebs and feathers, usually located on the edge of coniferous branches, at a height of four, often ten to twelve meters. There are 9-11 eggs in the clutch, which the female incubates for approximately 16 days. Chicks appear, like all birds, they want to eat constantly. So the wren works all year round. In winter - for yourself, in summer - for yourself and your family. After all, kinglets have two clutches a year.

Kinglets feed their chicks for fifteen to seventeen days, arriving three hundred times a day to feed their offspring. The chicks leave the nest 17-22 days after birth.

The yellow-headed kinglet rarely descends to the ground, looking for small spiders and insects, their eggs and larvae in the foliage, examining every small twig. It is often suspended from the branches below and hovers in front of them, fluttering its wings. It makes a quiet ringing call, less strong and lasting than that of the red-headed kinglet. And it’s not without reason that kinglets are considered one of the most useful birds for the forest.

Tap dancing

The tap dancer is a bird of the finch family. There are two species found in the area: the common redpoll and the ashy redpoll. The common tap dance is common in all regions. It got its name for its ringing cry, conveyed by the sound combination yachet-cheta. Very small birds of a dense build, gray-brown color, with a cut tail. Slightly smaller than a sparrow (body length up to 14 cm). Females are colored the same as males, but the red and pink colors are replaced by white, and there are dark spots and stripes on the crop, chest and sides. Inhabits shrub tundra, forest-tundra and forest zone of coniferous forests. Nomadic bird. In summer, tap dancers nest in the taiga and forest-tundra zones; in winter, they migrate south to the zone of mixed forests and forest-steppe in search of birch, alder and weed seeds. During non-breeding times they stay in small flocks. Tap dancers continuously chirp and call to each other, fluttering along the branches of trees, competing in their agility and mobility with tits and siskins. They often hang upside down to reach food. They feed on seeds and insects. The diet is dominated by seeds of birch, alder, lingonberry, and cereals; they even eat aphids. Having found a birch tree with a large number of catkins, tap dancers stick around it and sometimes feed for two or three days on one tree. The nest is built on bushes and trees low above the ground, sometimes in crevices between stones. It is constructed from dry grass and thin twigs, and the tray is lined with feathers. The clutch contains 4-5 bluish eggs with brown specks. The female incubates for 12-14 days, and the birds spend the same number of days in the nest. The male guards his girlfriend and brings them food. They shed once a year.

Breeds on the right bank of the Ob, in the river basin. Vakh, Agan, Tromyegan, M. and Northern Sosva, Kazym, during autumn and spring migrations it is found in all areas. Birds migrate north at the end of March - April - May. They nest in floodplain mixed and deciduous forests, willow thickets along the banks of lakes and streams. Nests are in bushes or on the lower branches of trees, usually 0.5 - 2 m from the ground. There are from 3 to 6 eggs in a clutch. A common and in some years numerous bird. Autumn migrations begin in September, but are especially intense in November - early December. Birds migrate to the south in large flocks. There are noticeable fluctuations in numbers over the years. During the autumn-winter and spring migrations, the ashy redpoll is found. Their singing is highly prized by songbird lovers. Subject to protection.

Chizh

In summer you can see many birds in the forest, you can find or accidentally stumble upon someone’s nest. Some birds themselves are not very hiding, and do not try to hide their nests, such as the oriole. But you won’t see the siskin’s nest, even if you want to find it - the birds hide it very carefully among the thick spruce paws. And it is difficult to see the siskins themselves - the male is greenish with a yellow breast and a black cap, the female is grayish-brown with streaks. There are yellow stripes on the wings and on the sides of the base of the tail. The beak is conical, like that of granivorous birds, short, sharp, noticeably thinner than that of tap dancers. Length on average 12 cm, weight 11 - 14 g. And their character is kind, peaceful, non-scandalous. And the song is very pleasant, quiet. It happens that in early spring, somewhere in a garden or grove, not far from human habitation, this song will join the spring drops. The song is a murmuring trill consisting of crackling, chirping hasty sounds. I just want to shout to the little birdie: Hello, little siskin, welcome back! The siskins did not arrive from across the blue sea, nor from distant lands (only a small part of the siskins fly away to wintering grounds). They wander. When it’s cold, they migrate a little south of their permanent place of residence. And some simply move from the forest closer to human habitation, it is easier to feed themselves here.

And then, if they survive until spring, they go back to the forest. And definitely coniferous. Only there they build their neat nests, only there they hatch and feed their chicks. It often makes nests in dense branches, no lower than 10 m from the ground. There are 5 - 6 eggs in a clutch. They are fed insects and plant seeds softened in the crop.

And when the chicks grow up, the whole family will move to a deciduous or mixed forest. In autumn and winter they feed mainly on alder seeds, choosing them from the cones and collecting those that have fallen off in the snow, in the spring - on birch and spruce seeds, and in the summer they eat large quantities of spruce aphids and cutworm caterpillars (they get them in the crowns of spruce and birch trees), spiders, dipterans, weevils and other small beetles. When the harvest of alder, birch and spruce seeds fails, flocks of tap dancers wander and are found in open landscapes, where they feed on the seeds of weeds and other types of grasses. They spend the entire autumn, possibly even winter, in a mixed forest. And those that migrate to the south or move closer to people will delight us with their ringing, cheerful song in early spring. And we will want to shout again: Hello, little siskin! Hello, cheerful, kind bird! We are glad to see you! .

In the district it is distributed in the western and southern regions. Found on a nesting site in the Malaya Sosva basin, summer finds and meetings of nomadic birds are known in the vicinity of the village of Berezovo, the village of Kazym, in the basin of the Konda and Bolshoy Salym rivers. Spring movements are observed in March - April - May. It is beneficial by destroying harmful insects. Siskin is one of the most common songbirds. To be protected.

Kuksha

Kuksha, or ronja, is a bird of the raven family. Body length 25 - 30 cm, weight 73 - 97 g. Kuksha is half the size of a crow, large-headed, with loose and fluffy plumage, grayish below, a blackish cap on the head, a long red tail with a longitudinal dark stripe. Its black beak is slightly pointed and slightly curved. Young birds have a lighter head and a darker back.

Kuksha leads a sedentary lifestyle and is active during daylight hours. It stays deep in the forest, in the middle tiers, and goes down. It flies easily, silently, and during flight the tail opens like a fan. An unwary, mobile bird. Not afraid of man. The voice is loud kzheei and low kuut. In the singing one can hear muttering and grumbling interspersed with whistles.

Kuksha is widespread in the taiga from the Kola Peninsula to Sakhalin. In the Autonomous Okrug it is more often found deep in the forest. In spruce-fir and cedar-larch forests it forms permanent pairs. The nest is made in trees of different heights, arranging it between the trunk and an outgoing branch, composing it from dry twigs, lined with lichens, feathers, and stems. The female incubates 3-4 greenish eggs with markings for up to 17 days.

The jayfish feeds on small animals, birds, conifer seeds, berries, and also eats garbage. It stores food for the winter, hiding it in the crevices of tree bark.

The population of this common taiga bird is low everywhere, but in some other parts of its range it has become a rare and gradually disappearing species. To be protected.

Common pika

The little gray lump quickly rolled up the tree. But it rolled in some unusual way - in a spiral. That's how mice don't run. And why would a mouse climb a tree?

Meanwhile, he got almost to the crown and suddenly... fell. No, it turns out he didn’t fall, but flew and sat on a nearby tree. Right at the butt. And again the little gray lump rolled up in a spiral.

This is not a mouse, this is a bird. And what it’s called can be easily understood if you listen. A bird sits - squeaks, flies - squeaks. Well, clearly - a pika! A small bird with a protective color that matches the color of tree trunks. The upper part is brown with light spots, the lower part is white. The beak is thin and long, curved downwards. The voice is a soft squeak and a melodic trill.

However, the squeaking does not prevent her from working all the time - searching for and pulling out insects and their larvae from the cracks in the bark. This is why the pika runs along tree trunks. The pika is very mobile, it is constantly searching for insects and spiraling along tree trunks, leaning on its tail.

This is how the pika works in the summer, and she works just as tirelessly in the winter. And when there are chicks in the nest, they work even more actively.

Inhabits large forest areas, avoids forest belts and city parks. In winter, it often accompanies flocks of tits, but mostly stays apart.

In early May, a pair of pikas builds a nest in crevices and hollows on tree trunks, in cracks and behind loose bark. Nesting materials include thin twigs, blades of grass, moss, pieces of bark, feathers and wool. Up to six eggs are laid, which are incubated by the female. When the chicks hatch, pikas fly to them two hundred and fifty to three hundred times a day.

Need I say how useful these little mice are?

Rare and scarce species.

Large lentils

Great lenticels are the only local birds who are so skillful in breaking apart acacia seeds, extracting nutritious peas. Having picked a pod, the bird lifts its head, peels it - and the peas roll along the flaps, as if along a chute, into the beak. Sometimes lentils fly under a bush and pick up fallen seeds from the surface of the snow. Lentil buds are plucked from thin branches and rowan berries. They feed directly above the heads of passers-by, allowing humans to come within arm's length. The birds probably live in family groups. Flocks are always small, up to six individuals, and consist of adult and young birds. Males show off in a crimson outfit with white speckles, and young ones - in a brown-red outfit with slight speckling. Females are painted a modest gray-green color. When they are about to fly, the birds begin to call to each other with frequent calls: vzhi-vzhi-vzhi. And they take off almost simultaneously, quickly gaining altitude.

Woodpecker

A forest bird leading a tree-climbing lifestyle. Woodpeckers move freely along a tree trunk, clinging to uneven bark with their claws. The legs are short with strong toes: two toes point forward, two point back. The tail feathers are elastic, the vanes taper towards the apex. A tail of this shape is an additional point of support when climbing trunks. A straight, strong beak and a sharp tongue help the bird remove seeds from cones, search for and extract insects from bark and wood.

The Great Spotted Woodpecker is the most common. The top of the head, back and wings are black, the ventral side is white with an ocher coating. The undertail and nape are red; the female has no red spot on the nape. The black woodpecker has black plumage. The male has a red cap on the crown and the back of the head, while the female has a red cap only on the back of the head.

The Gray Woodpecker is slightly larger than the Great Spotted Woodpecker. The general color tone is grayish-olive-green. The head is greyish. The male has a red spot on the forehead and the front of the crown; the female has no red color.

Woodpeckers are sedentary birds, that is, they live in our forests constantly, making feeding migrations. In winter they move to pine forests. This is evidenced by the forges of woodpeckers, a heap of spent pine cones near individual trees. In summer, woodpeckers feed themselves and feed their chicks with various insects, which are more abundant in mixed forests. The more stem pests, the more woodpeckers in this area of ​​the forest. In March, on sunny days, you can hear a drum trill in the forest. The male chooses a dry tree and hammers on it. This is his mating song. They nest in hollows.