Now that Winter is fast approaching (the biting wind makes it feel like its already here) there are many things to look forward too for the wildlife enthusiast even if is it not as an active season as the Spring and Summer.

What are your favourite bird to see in the Winter? It is the cliche but mine is the Robin, Christmas is one of my favourite times of year and every time I see one in the Winter it reminds of it.

A flock of about four whooper swans flew over my house today, it was really amazing, a sign that winter is fast approaching.

    Waxwings they don't come every year to Essex,but heres hoping.
http://www.wildlifeuk.net/gallery/albums...26/wax.jpg

Oh, the joy of waxwings .

North America has the Cedar Waxwing--a bird I see every year around this time. They are typically found feasting on Pyracantha berries, and get drunk from eating the berries.

North America also has the Bohemian Waxwing (the one which occurs in the UK), and I have only seen Bohemians once. Bohemians tend to occur at higher elevations here, whereas the Cedars seem to like lowlands.

Kingfisher

hello
i think waxwings are beautifull birds and sometimes see them in winter, but i also love seeing fieldfares, and redwings stripping the berrys of the bushes, i have been down to breydon water in norfolk today and it was great to see ducks and geese ariving for winter migration.

Great picture Barry! They are really beautiful birds.

I've been hearing redwings flying overhead at night for the last week or so, real harbingers of winter.

Waxwings are brilliant birds, redwings too, and both remind me of winter when I see them.

It is a shame there are so few breeding pairs of redwings in England, but that is more than made up for by the amount that come here in winter.

I have never seen waxwings in my life. They look beautiful.Good pic

Golden Plovers for me - & I saw a flock of around 200 the other day, flying over in late afternoon - what a sight!

Plus I love the flocks of Redwings & Fieldfares, gorging themselves on berries!

if you look on the birdguides web site February/march time I am sure they visit lancs
barry

Lapwings visit a large area of open plain a couple of miles from where I live. They usually arrive in October. I assume they are winter migrants or at least migrants from another part of the country, anyway they are usually there for the winter. Along with thousands of golden plovers that bagan to arrive in august and numbers grew to the thousands that they are now. They are like roosting starlings, there is that many!

OK Barry will tell Skip he has a better memory than me............

I went for a walk across the fields today with my video camera to film the huge flock of starlings, but they were so busy eating that they weren't flying. So I plodded on my weary way & by chance came across the golden plovers (the film has been mucked up by Youtube, so turn the sound up & ignore the blurry parts!):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLLTUXqGxnE

Great job of tracking the birds - that was a very stormy, dramatic - looking sky.

I was at Slimbridge (first time in years) a week or so back, and saw some of the first wild Bewick Swans that had arrived - that was great to see.