Cold weather brings out the lesser redpolls

They peck away at birch catkins or hang upside down to tease the seeds out of the black alder cones.

They are very attractive little birds with a scarlet patch on the forehead which gives them their name and black bibwhilethe male has a pink breast and rump.

They are birds which have undergone many changes ofclassification in recent years.

At one time, the redpolls of Western Europe were divided into several subspecies but then it was decided to do away with many of these and only the lesser redpoll and the common or mealy redpoll, a larger paler form found eastwards from southern Scandinavia survived.

But now the British Ornithologists' Union, keeper of the British Bird List, recognises three redpoll species, common, lesser and a rare visitor to this country, the Arctic redpoll noticeably larger whiter and fluffier than the others giving it a "snowball" look.

All three have been found in a single redpoll flock insome winters.

The BOU recognises another two redpoll subspecies, the Greenland and Icelandic,

both intermediate in size between common and Arctic although some birdwatchers feel that at least one ofthese should also be regarded as full species and the debate on this continues.

It is obvious that watching redpoll flocks can be a complicated business!

Mealy redpolls, most birdwatchers use this name rather than common, are the most likely to be encountered at present among flocks of lesser redpolls.

Two are among a flock of 60 plus lessers feeding around the childrens' play area at the RSPB's Old Moor reserve, South Yorkshire. while another has been seen near the boardwalk at Fairburn Ings near Castleford.

They are the size of linnets , have brighter white superciliums than lesser redpolls and the white in their flanks makes the black streaking in their plumage more obvious. They also have two pale lines down the back and a whitish streaked rump.

They have been arriving in smallnumbers all along the Yorkshire coast over the past few weeks with recent sightings at Scarborough's Castle Hill and Flamborough Head while inland among 14 mealy redpolls caught and ringed at Wintersett Reservoir, Wakefield was one previously ringed in Norway, a first for Britain.

An Arctic redpoll was reported this week at the RSPB's Titchwell reserve in Norfolk.

A juvenile rough-legged buzzard has stayed in an area of farmland near South Ferriby, in North Lincolnshire and is giving excellent views while nearby up to eight short-eared owls are hunting over set-aside land at

Worlaby Carrs, often flying close to the road.

More smews have been arriving with a drake at Astley Lake, Leeds along with three red-heads and another drake on the River Calder near the Calder wetland, Wakefield. Nearby a female long-tailed duck has remained on the main lake at Pugney's

Country Park.

There were some large movements of pink-footed geese over the region at the weekend while four bean geese were seen at Thorgumby Ings near York.

Up to 50 whooper swans were at North Duffield Carrs in the Lower Derwent Valley while 52 were at Hatfield Moor, South Yorkshire.

Six shore larks and 40 twite were at Stone Creek on the Humber.