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There's a chill in the air and we've have already seen the first signs of snow at our nature centre in the Sandwell Valley.

Many of the birds that spend the summer here – the warblers, martins and swallows have now departed for sunny climes in the south, and we won't see them again until they come back to breed next spring.

Redwing: Pic Chris Gomersall

While our winters may seem cold to us, they are mild compared to those in Northern Europe, which is why many birds – in particular ducks, thrushes and finches migrate to the West Midlands, enjoying the warmer weather before returning home in the spring.

Through my office window I can see 10 or 15 redwings fluttering between the hawthorn bushes, only to make brief stops now and again to snack on the plumb red berries. A sparrowhawk caused a real stir amongst them earlier today, but this time they were lucky.

Redwings and their larger cousin the fieldfare, are two of the more common travellers that we see at this time of the year.

An autumn feast

In autumn, these thrushes feed in mixed flocks on hedges and bushes of hawthorn, rowan or holly, and later in winter when the berries are gone, they will feed on earthworms in parks and large gardens.

If you are at the right place, at the right time, you may see or hear a flock of several hundred thrushes flying overhead. Listen out for the high-pitched 'zzsteep' calls of the redwings and the nasal ‘ee-eep’ calls of the fieldfare.

But these winter thrushes are not the only newcomers to Sandwell.

Red deer

The volunteers at RSPB Sandwell Valley are keeping a log of the wildlife that is coming and going on the reserve, and looking at the notes from yesterday, more than 30 different species were recorded including tufted ducks, water rails, great crested grebes, bullfinches, green woodpecker and a kestrel.

A stunning red deer stag has also been seen in the field behind the car park over the past couple of weeks. Maybe it will venture onto the reserve one of these days!

While the seasonal changes that you can see in your garden might be quite subtle, they are very obvious here because of the variety of different habitats on the nature reserveÌý – woodlands, scrubs, meadows, marshes and the lake.

Caught on camera

The bushes and meadow in front of the visitor centre are full birdlife. There's a large TV in the visitor centre that is hooked up to a camera that zooms in on all the colour and entertainment that's happening on the feeding table in the meadow.

At this time of the year we regularly see coal tits flying in to grab a few peanuts from the feeding station, a couple of handsome bullfinches nibbling on sunflower seeds, and a brilliant blast of colour when a few lively blue tits are flitting about the feeders.

Bull finch: Pic Sue Tranter

The teasels in the meadow are a clear favourite among the goldfinches. I recently learned that the goldfinch makes a buzzing ‘geez’ sound as it probes for teasel seeds. Apparently, the vibrations from the sound helps to loosen the seeds, which makes it easier for the finches to get the seeds out of the sockets.

One of the good things about this time of the year is that woodland birds become visible again as the leaf-cover disappears.ÌýThe trees and bushes along the path to the lake are alive with chaffinches, great tits, wrens and perhaps a goldcrest – the UK’s smallest bird. You can hear the robin sing its delightful musical song all winter long.

You may also spot one of the greatest socialites of the bird world: the long-tailed tit. If you see one, you are almost bound to see a whole flock of them the next moment. Their ‘tsee-tsee-tsee’ contact call may give their presence away before you actually see them. If you have yet to see your first long-tailed tit, look out for a tiny bird with pompom-like body, a small black beak and a very long tail.

The lake is where a lot of the action is in winter, and with each day more winter wildfowl and waders are coming in to find refuge on Forge Mill Lake and the island.Ìý

Tufted Duck: Pic Ben Hall

Duck heaven

You have a great chance to see some of the UK's most colourful and charming ducks including wigeons, teals, pochards, tufted ducks, shovelers and goosanders. The guides in the wildlife hide can help point out what the different birds are, and tell you more about their fascinating journeys.

The shoveler is an ace duck. They spin around in circles filtering the water that’s disturbed by their movement and they have this funny beak which is broad like a shovel. Males have dark green heads, with white breasts and chestnut flanks.

Goldeneyes winter here too.ÌýThe goldeneye is a small, diving duck that spends the summer in the Scottish Highlands where it nests high up in trees, while wintering on lakes.

Wintering lapwings flock to the reserve from the north. It is a spectacular sight when you see them take to the air all at once, exuding their characteristic ‘pee-wit’ calls.

Water rails can be heard squealing like a piglet from the reedbed and marshy areas close to the wildlife hide. Grey herons, grebes and cormorants feed on fish on the lake and marsh pool.

As dusk approaches, you may also see huge flocks of jackdaws pass over the reserve on their way to roost.

Goldfinches on a feeder

A wonderful time for birds

There's so much happening throughout the winter months, so get wrapped up and get spotting. For those not so keen to brave the elements - you can always look out from the visitor centre!

The visitor centre and car parks are open from 9am - 5pm from Tuesday to Friday and 10am - 5pm on Saturday and Sundays (closes at dusk in winter). We tend to close the wildlife hide a little earlier.

For more information see: www.rspb.org.uk/sandwellvalley