NOW we are in winter, although it feels like it’s been around for some weeks, the bird visitors from northern Europe are here. The bigger birds, the fieldfare and the redwing, are in the hedgerows, scoffing on the numerous berries on offer.

The fieldfare are big, noisy birds, with a slate-grey head and with a load “chak-chak” call, while the redwing are smaller and daintier, with a red flash under the wing and a high-pitch “tsee-tsee” call you normally hear before you see the birds.

These are the better-known migrants, the others are smaller and less prominent, including the handsome bramblings, not unlike a colourful chaffinch, often seen in large flocks.

Goldcrests, aptly named with the yellow flash on the head, are the smallest migrant and somehow make it across the North Sea despite weighing less than a 10p coin.

Probably the most striking of our visitors are the waxwings, which have a lovely light red plumage and a distinctive crest on the head and black eye masks, that makes them look a bit like a punk rocker. They have red tips on secondary feathers where the shafts extend beyond the bards, looking like sealing wax, giving them their name.

We had a good example of a winter visitor locally when a goosander was on the De Lank River recently. This is a member of sawbill family, due to them having serrated bills. It is a large sea duck, that will occasionally come inland.

It was fishing away in the river, looking a little like a cormorant, but with a brown head. They migrate from the frozen north to our open seas and lakes to enjoy a holiday.

It's funny to think that some birds and animals seem to think we have a lovely mild weather – I'm not sure Geraldine will agree!