Well, I set my alarm to go off early and headed out hoping to catch up with the bird.
When I arrived the bid was picked up at first light before flying off and no further sightings, alas I missed it before the first sighting.
A short wait in the cold and the bird was re-found and it didn't take too long for it to show well, very well.
Redpolls are notoriously one the most difficult and challenging bird groups we can come across in Britain. There are several subspecies with tricky and subtle ID features.
Smaller than a Hornemann's but bigger than a lesser, with a white rump and paler plumage makes the Arctic's stand out as bright b bigger birds nest to its smaller cousins.
Another nice little bird Middlesbrough had to offer, lets see what next weeks trip up here brings.
There are two forms of Arctic redpolls, split in to Hornemann's (hornimanni) and Coues’s (exsillipes).
The bird was with eight lesser redpoll which were very active across the area, they were regurally feeding on the ground and low in the shrubs and even visited a small pool giving great views.
