Sir, It was interesting to read of the redwing sighting in last week's paper. However, it is not an unusual visitor to Pembrokeshire, but is regular in winter to fields and hedgerows, often along with its larger relative, the fieldfare, which also belongs to the thrush family.

As the article mentions, redwings come from Scandinavia to winter here, but also from further afield, including one sub-species which nests in Iceland. As their origin suggests, they are more numerous in the east and north of the UK in winter, with greater numbers moving west and south in the event of hard weather. Redwings, despite their northern breeding, are not as hardy as our resident thrushes, song and mistle, and many can die in hard winters.

In most winters, I usually recognise the presence of redwings by sound before seeing them. They migrate by night, and the flocks keep together by calls. These are a soft, but far-carrying 'sleep'. So every October, the best month for incoming birds locally, I make a point of going outside on quiet nights and listening, and am often rewarded by the calls coming down from the night sky, a sound as evocative as that of a distant curlew, in its quiet way.

Sightings locally are not as frequent as they used to be, but most winters I will see some feeding in the fields between Penally and Tenby, and along the Ritec. Redwings also feed on berries, though not as regularly as fieldfares. The latter and sometimes the former as well, come annually to Penally churchyard to feed on yew berries, often accompanied by their resident relatives, mistle and song thrushes and blackbirds.

Michael Higgins, Penally.