UK wildlife in January: what to see, and where

Happening in January

• Waxwing winters
  In some winters waxwings arrive from Scandinavia in numbers and strip the berries in towns and gardens. Waxwing
• Seal pups at Horsey
  Grey seals pup on the beach at Horsey in Norfolk. Grey seal
• First frogspawn
  The first frogspawn of the year turns up in garden ponds. Common frog
• Starling roosts
  Starlings gather in their thousands to roost, swirling at dusk before they drop in. Starling
• Pink-footed geese
  Skeins of pink-footed geese flight over Norfolk at dawn and dusk. Pink-footed goose
• Garden bird count
  Over a weekend in late January, people all over the country count the birds in their gardens for an hour. Robin, blackbird, blue tit, great tit, house sparrow, starling, goldfinch, chaffinch, dunnock, wren and long-tailed tit

Moments worth waiting for

What the animals are up to this month, the most seasonal first.

• A bee in January Buff-tailed bumblebee · day
  A large bee bumbles across a mild winter garden, visiting the first flowers on a shrub.
• Pups on the Horsey beach Grey seal · dawn and day
  A fluffy white pup squirms on the sand below the dunes as the cows shuffle and call around it.
• Winter flock Snow bunting · day
  A flock of snow buntings blows across the snow like flakes, dropping suddenly to feed on seeds on a windswept ridge.
• Dawn flight-out Pink-footed goose · dawn
  A long, calling skein of pink-feet streams high over the marsh at first light, heading inland to feed.
• Whiffling Pink-footed goose · day and dusk
  Geese tip and tumble from height as they drop towards the fields.
• Winter white coat Mountain hare · dawn, day and dusk
  A mountain hare in full white winter fur sits among the heather stems, only the black ear tips giving it away.
• Roost fly-in Common crane · dusk
  Cranes glide in from the fields to roost, calling, as the sky turns orange.
• Upside-down at the feeder Blue tit · day
  A blue tit clings upside down to a fat ball, swinging as it pecks.
• Drey building Grey squirrel · day
  A squirrel drags a beakful of leaves up a tree to line its drey.
• Family flock on the move Long-tailed tit · day
  A dozen long-tailed tits pour along the hedge one behind another, calling all the time.
• Daytime hunting Barn owl · day
  A white owl drifts over the marsh in daylight.
• Kew-wick and hoot Tawny owl · dusk and night
  From two dark trees a female calls 'kew-wick' and a male answers with a long quavering hoot.
• White winter plumage Ptarmigan · day and dawn
  A ptarmigan in pure white winter plumage huddles by a boulder, only a black eye and tail feathers showing.

Where to look

At their best in January, quickest to see first, with the best time of day.

Rare visitors

Not here most of the time, but January is when these can turn up: Waxwing, glossy ibis and white-tailed eagle.

Moths on the wing

Very few moths fly in January. The trap can wait for spring. All the moths, and how to trap them kindly.

Nature notes for January

• Where to see starling murmurations in the UK this winter
• Where to see grey seal pups in the UK, and when they're born