Our bountiful crop of berries will be welcomed by blackbirds, thrushes and especially winter visiting redwings and fieldfares.

The redwing, slightly smaller than the songthrush can be identified by its cream eyestripe and red patches on flanks and underwings.

The fieldfare is a large bold upright bird similar to the mistlethrush but with grey head and rump. Both species often flock together on playing fields and grassy areas.

Our native winter bird populations are boosted by several other species flying in from the Continent and northern Europe including wildfowl.

On an overcast late October afternoon I was at the London Wetland Centre and suddenly alerted to the distant call of a wigeon.

Looking up I was thrilled to see high above,hundreds of wigeon (pictured) and shoveller ducks flying eastwards over the centre in long lines abreast, in V-formation and loose straggling flocks.

As I watched, the birds began circling and gradually losing height as they surveyed the grazing march below.

It seems that those ducks formed the vanguard of the two species arriving from the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions, the main breeding areas of wigeon although some do nest in northern Britain.

The shoveller is present all year but numbers are greatly augmented by migrants from Iceland, Russia and northern Europe.

I heard from the Wetland Centre the following day that over a hundred shovellers and large numbers of wigeon had been recorded as they settled at the site, both attractive species to watch during the coming winter.