Abington Naturewatch: Lesser Redpoll visiting 'down south'

Thursday, 19 February 2026

Lesser Redpoll visiting 'down south'

28th January 2026 - Andy M was lucky enough to regularly have up to three Common (Lesser) Redpoll visit his garden during the last week of the month. These small, feisty birds are members of the finch family that visit southern Britain during the winter months, usually on appearing in gardens only when the weather gets colder. Despite the small size, they will often dominate the feeders, pushing off their larger cousins.

Smaller and more streaky in appearance than the more common finches, both male and female have a small yellow bill and a red crown or 'poll'. The male also sports a red throat and breast which intensifies in colour as the breeding season approaches. Come the spring, they will head north to breed, some to the north-west UK as well as to northern Scandinavia and Russia.

male

female

male

female

male

male

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The Aims of Abington Naturewatch

At their meeting on 9 April 2005 the members approved this revised version of the aims of Abington Naturewatch:

To monitor and record the wildlife (fauna & flora) within the borders of the Abingtons;
To encourage protection of our wildlife, maintain its quality and foster its diversity;
To promote awareness of the richness, potential and problems of the natural environment of the Abingtons;
To cooperate in improving access to the local natural environment for the benefit of all Abington villagers.

Pat Daunt, Founder

The organisation is informal and communication is by email if possible; members are notified of events from time to time. Contact details are maintained by a small "project team". There is currently no membership fee as costs are covered by voluntary contributions at events.

Members are encouraged to report notable sightings of flora and fauna within the Abingtons to the appropriate sector coordinator and an illustrated record is published annually.

A map of the area covered, with some features noted, is available here: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=213774935674882866424.00000111dca2be9f06ab8&z=13>

For more information or to join, please contact David Farrant on (01223) 892871.

Contributions to our records should be sent to sector contacts or either of the above. Photographs may also be submitted to Andy Merryweather (amerryweather61@gmail.com)