One small thrush may need a hand in your garden.
Forecasters are flagging the first proper flurries of the season, and that means an unusual visitor could slip into suburban lawns and city greens. When fields freeze, a shy migrant leaves hedgerows and starts searching closer to our back doors. Locals spot it most when the ground turns white.
The bird is the redwing, the UK’s smallest true thrush. In mild spells you are unlikely to see one on a patio. When the cold bites, they arrive in loose groups, tugging at fallen fruit and probing thawed patches of turf. The change can happen fast.
The cold snap that brings redwings into UK gardens
Redwings spend the colder months roaming the countryside, often alongside fieldfares. They favour farmland edges, hawthorn and rowan, and open ground where they can pick at worms and slugs. Once **snow** and ice seal those feeding spots, they switch tactics.
That is the moment they drift into **gardens**, parks and roadside verges. The behaviour is driven by hunger rather than boldness. You might spot a thin cream stripe above the eye, a mottled chest and that rusty flank which gives the redwing its name. Blink and you could confuse it with a song thrush.
Garden specialists Pergolux UK note the pattern is seasonal. « A winter visitor to the UK, Redwings make an appearance in winter time and are the UK’s smallest true thrush. » They add a simple watch-out for cold snaps. « They can be found roaming across the countryside and hedgerows, and very rarely visit gardens unless there’s any snow covering in fields. Keep an eye out for appearances in the garden during the next snowfall.”
The simple fruit trick that keeps a redwing going
When food runs short, redwings turn to fruit. That is where householders can step in with an easy fix that costs pennies and takes two minutes. Put out sliced **apples** on the lawn. Not on a hanging feeder. Redwings feed on the ground, so flat grass or a low tray works best.
Fresh apple halves help birds hold their energy through icy nights, and they attract other winter thrushes too. If you keep a wildlife-friendly corner, scatter a small handful of dried mealworms near shrubs for shelter from sparrowhawks. It wont take long for a flock to find it. And yes, they can clear a plate by lunchtime.
- Halve eating apples and lay them cut-side up on grass or a low tray so ground-feeding thrushes can reach them
The Woodland Trust sets out the best places to look as temperatures dip. « As redwings only visit the UK during the winter, this is the time to be on the lookout for them. These social birds can often be seen in flocks with fieldfares, foraging for food. » The charity also suggests a couple of garden tweaks. « Having a hawthorn or rowan bush in your garden is a great way of increasing your chances of sighting one, as is leaving apples and mealworms out for them on bird feeders. »
Why redwing numbers matter in a British winter
Most redwings spend winter here then head back north to breed. A tiny number try to nest in Scotland and northern England. According to the Woodland Trust, the UK breeding population usually sits at fewer than 20. The Trust warns about the conservation picture. « Due to the tiny numbers that breed in the UK (usually less than 20) the redwing is ed as a Red List species of conservation concern. It is believed that climate change could ultimately cause the loss of this already small breeding population. »
This status does not mean redwings are rare visitors in winter. Flocks arrive in their thousands from Scandinavia and Iceland, and they spread out across the country in search of berries. Yet a bitter week can trap them on frozen pasture, which is why those apple halves matter on frosty mornings. Small actions scale up when streets join in.
Look for movement under hedges after dawn when the frost still sparkles. Listen for thin tseep calls overhead as birds drift from roosts into feeding areas. If you are lucky, a fieldfare will barrel in, grey head flashing, to share the feast. Except that the redwing often nips in first, quietly efficient, then slips back to cover.
As the **winter** pattern repeats, keep fruit topped up for a few days at a time. Clear away spoiled pieces to avoid mess and move plates near shrubs for quick cover. You give shelter, they give life to a muted garden. The first **snow** of the season is the cue. And it might arrive this weekend across parts of the **UK**.
