Birding in December: What to See and Where to Go in the UK

Short days, big numbers. Wildfowl are at peak, dusk roosts are spectacular, and garden feeders are busier than at any other time.

Updated 21 October 2026

Key dates this December

• 9 December: registration opens for the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2027 (29 to 31 January).
• 21 December: the shortest day. About eight hours of daylight in southern England, less in Scotland. Plan the day around the light.
• Christmas to New Year: the best week of the year for a long walk on your local patch. Every bird you log from 1 January starts the new year list.
• Spring tides: on the biggest tides the Wash waders pack onto the pits at RSPB Snettisham. Check the reserve's recommended dates before you go.

What's around in December

Wildfowl at peak

• Wigeon, Teal, Pintail and Shoveler: thousands on the big wetlands. Listen for whistling Wigeon.
• White-fronted Geese: Russian birds on the Severn at WWT Slimbridge.
• Goldeneye and Goosander: reservoirs and lakes. Drakes start displaying on calm days.
• Smew: small numbers arrive, more when the continent freezes. Dungeness ARC pit, Walthamstow Wetlands and the Lee Valley are regular.
• Whooper Swans: WWT Welney, Martin Mere and Caerlaverock run commentated swan feeds through the winter, and Welney has held floodlit evening feeds on some dates. Check WWT for this winter's times.

Dusk roosts

• Starlings: murmurations peak. RSPB Ham Wall, Brighton Palace Pier and Aberystwyth pier are reliable. Full list in our murmurations guide.
• Hen Harrier and Marsh Harrier: harriers gather at winter roosts in north Norfolk, the Somerset Levels and the Solway. Watch from a distance at dusk.
• Rooks and Jackdaws: the Buckenham Marshes corvid roost in the Yare Valley pulls in tens of thousands of birds.
• Gull roosts: big reservoirs gather thousands of gulls at dusk. Scan for Yellow-legged Gull, Caspian Gull, Iceland Gull and Glaucous Gull.

Owls

Barn Owls hunt in daylight after cold or wet nights. Short-eared Owls quarter coastal marshes. Long-eared Owls roost in dense scrub; if a site is publicised, keep your distance.

What moves in December

• Cold-weather movements. When the continent or the east of Britain freezes, Lapwings, Golden Plovers, thrushes and ducks move west and south to open ground. A hard freeze on the continent can push thousands into the south-east within a day or two.
• Waxwings. The first two of this autumn reached Fair Isle on 18 October 2026. Whether more follow depends on the berry crop in Scandinavia. Check rowans and berry bushes in car parks and retail parks.
• Finches. Brambling join Chaffinch flocks in beech woods and on stubble. A good beechmast year holds them in the woods.
• Divers and grebes settle in for the winter in sheltered bays. Great Northern Diver in the west, Red-throated Diver off the east coast.

10 target species for December

1. Whooper Swan: the WWT reserves, especially at feed times.
2. White-fronted Goose: the Severn at Slimbridge.
3. Pintail: big wetlands and estuaries. The drake's long tail is unmistakable.
4. Smew: gravel pits and reservoirs in the south-east.
5. Hen Harrier: winter roosts at dusk.
6. Short-eared Owl: coastal rough grassland in the last hour of light.
7. Bittern: reedbed edges, best after a freeze.
8. Starling: a murmuration at dusk.
9. Brambling: beech woods and finch flocks on stubble.
10. Waxwing: berry bushes, if this turns into a Waxwing winter.

In the garden this month

• Full menu. Seed and peanuts have been back since 1 November. Sunflower hearts, fat balls without nets and a niger feeder cover most birds. See our bird food guide.
• Clean feeders weekly. Hot soapy water, rinse, dry. Busy feeders spread disease fastest.
• Keep water ice-free. A shallow dish of fresh water matters as much as food in a freeze. Never add salt or antifreeze.
• Look for wintering Blackcaps. They come from central Europe, not from British breeding birds, and like fat and fruit.
• Practise for January. A quick count each weekend makes the Big Garden Birdwatch easier. Expect Coal Tit, Siskin and Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Where to go in December

• WWT Slimbridge: White-fronted Geese, Wigeon, Pintail and Cranes.
• WWT Welney and the Ouse Washes: Whooper Swans in the thousands.
• RSPB Ham Wall: murmuration, Bittern, Great White Egret.
• Buckenham Marshes (Norfolk): corvid roost plus wintering geese and Wigeon.
• RSPB Snettisham: Wash waders on the biggest tides.
• WWT Caerlaverock: Barnacle Geese and Whooper Swans on the Solway.

December tips

• Chase the freeze. Cold spells push Water Rails, Bitterns and ducks onto the last unfrozen water. Visit then.
• Dress for standing still. Roost watches mean an hour static at dusk. Layers, hat, gloves, flask.
• Bird flu. Don't handle dead or sick birds. Report dead wild waterbirds, gulls or raptors to Defra on 03459 33 55 77.