Redwings at Quedgley

I have been running around the area today doing a number of different tasks, including a shopping trip to Gloucester. I had heard that some Waxwings had been sighted to the south of the city centre near where I was going today, so I decided to spend a short time searching for any sight of them.

I spotted flocks of birds flitting about the opens spaces near Kingsway, a new housing development on an old RAF site. There were lots of mature trees, open ground and scrubby land left as open space between the houses, which I don't think will be built on. I managed to follow the flocks to a tall copse of established trees where they all congregated in the top branches with a lot of communal singing.

I knew they weren't waxwings but the presence of such large numbers of birds into a flock was very pleasing.  I love the sound of their chatter and song. From the ground looking up high into the tree I couldn't identify exactly what birds they were. In fact there were mixtures at odd times of fieldfares, redwings, goldfinches and starlings.

Now I can tell having checked bird websites that they were mostly redwings, which look very similar to fieldfares.  But I haven't given up on the waxwings.  Maybe another trip tomorrow to spot them before they all return to the mainland of Europe, their more usual winter habitats.