BRAMBLINGS are already arriving on our North Sea coast with flocks in the low hundreds being seen from Shetland to Norfolk.

Bramblings are seed eating birds that seek out beech seeds in particular, but as these run out they will turn to gardens and the seeds we put out in our bird feeders.

BTO Garden BirdWatchers across the UK will be able to help determine whether, or not, the current movement of birds will become a full-scale invasion.

Arriving on the East coast, Bramblings will quickly move inland in search of seeds and could turn up in gardens anywhere.

During the last week, one site in the Netherlands recorded more than 30,000 Bramblings moving overhead, with similar counts in Germany and Belgium too.

The highest count in the UK, so far, has reached less than 1,000 birds moving over Holy Island in Northumberland.

Rob Jaques, BTO GBW Team, said, “The Brambling is a winter visitor to the UK with varying numbers occurring each winter.

“The 20/21 winter saw small numbers in our gardens but with large numbers already on the move, this winter may prove to be a bumper one.

“Our Garden BirdWatchers are already telling us that a few Bramblings have found their feeders but to really chart their arrival we need as many people watching their gardens as possible and telling us what they see.”

He added, “Not all winter migrants are being seen in the same numbers as Bramblings. Redwing and Fieldfare records are much lower than usual, possibly due to warm conditions and an abundance of berries in Scandinavia, where they breed.

“By contributing records on these wintering birds and others that are using your garden, we can better understand how our birds are faring.”

The BTO’s Garden BirdWatch survey is carried out weekly throughout the year and is free to take part in, for more information, please visit: www.bto.org/gbw .