Ian reported a flock of fifty or more redwings visiting the reserve last week.
Named for the ginger-red colouration beneath their wings, redwings (Turdus iliacus) are winter visitors to the UK. They arrive from Iceland and Scandinavia during September and they stay until April. We are much more accustomed to bird species that leave the UK and head south for the winter months than we are to species that come south us.
They are a species of thrush, a bird of the open country, foraging in fallow fields or around the feet of grazing livestock, in flocks that can be thousands strong. But freezing conditions, such as last week’s cold snap, will bring them into urban heat islands where they will visit gardens, parks – and our reserve, startling Ian as he walked up the hill through the Arboretum.
It is believed that around 700,000 redwings visit the UK each winter, although numbers can fluctuate sharply between years.
Southwick Country Park Nature Reserve 
Gardens bordering fields behind Blind Lane always used to get numbers of redwings, fieldfares etc when snow was on the ground and berries on the trees. We used to leave apples on the lawn that they would eat. In recent years we have not had snow, just frost and local birds eat the berries earlier in the year so no redwings etc. I’m very glad to see redwings are still visiting the area, enjoy seeing them! Barbara Johnson
In freezing weather, apples provide nutrition AND water. Well done, Barbara.