Redwing - HAMPSTEAD HEATH - 2013

This solitary visitor was photographed just inside Highgate Gate in January 2010.

The redwing is most commonly encountered as a winter bird and is the UK's smallest true thrush. Its creamy strip above the eye and orange-red flank patches make it distinctive. They roam across the UK's countryside, feeding in fields and hedgerows, rarely visiting gardens, except in the coldest weather when snow covers the fields. Only a few pairs nest in the UK.

Migrants arrive from September from Scandinavia, with most in October and November. They leave again in March and April, although occasionally birds stay later.

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