This morning twelve of us joined Steve Butler to see what birds were making use of the Meadows in winter. Most of the 31 species were familiar residents, though at this time of year many of these birds may in fact be migrants from colder parts of Europe. Short winter days may have made the little grebe – which is resident but usually much harder to see – less shy. But the winter highlights were a flock of around twenty redpolls, and a thrush identification parade as two migrant redwings fed close to a resident song thrush.

Species seen or heard: black-headed gull, blackbird, blue tit, carrion crow, chaffinch, collared dove, cormorant, dipper, dunnock, goldcrest, goldfinch, goosander, great spotted woodpecker, great tit, greenfinch, grey heron, house sparrow, jackdaw, lesser black-backed gull, lesser redpoll, little grebe, long-tailed tit, magpie, mallard, nuthatch, redwing, robin, song thrush, starling, woodpigeon.