It would be very easy to hide under a blanket and give in to winter as soon as the birdsong fades and the weather takes a turn for the worse. But there is still so much life to revel in. While leaves faint from the trees and some of our best-loved birds leave our shores for another year, new visitors arrive and the natural world still has plenty of wonder up her sleeve.
Perhaps the most wonderful? Redwings. These small thrushes migrate here each year from the frozen shores of Iceland, Russia and Scandinavia, enduring a perilous 500-mile flight across the North Sea. Many won’t make it through the rough weather, but those that do may arrive as early as September and leave around March or April.
Redwings are one of two iconic ‘winter thrushes’ (the other being the fieldfare) that migrate here each year and are our smallest thrush species. Though similar-looking to song thrushes, they have a couple of extra flourishes that set them apart. The first is a bold, cream stripe above each eye and the second – a fiery orange-red patch burning below each wing – earned them their common name.