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There has been a national trend for redpolls coming to niger feeders earlier and earlier each year. This winter the first redpolls started coming to Bob Sheppard's Bourne garden in November - a month earlier than last winter. Last winter we ringed 70 Common (Mealy) Redpolls and 350 Lesser Redpoll, but we were not expecting any Commons this year, as few were seen arriving in autumn unlike last year when they may have been driven much further south than normal due to the severe weather.
However, after catching and seeing only Lessers during the last month or so, we were pleasantly surprised to catch the first Common Redpoll of the winter on 27th December. Andrew has posted some images of this bird in the photo album - a quite strikingly pale specimen. Initial views showing a short-looking bill due to this feathering at the base of the bill suggested Arctic Redpoll, but other features such as dark shaft streaks on undertail coverts, streaked rump, curved culmen and size suggest Common.
Alan
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