Went to look for the Mealies at the Wigan Flashes today, always nice to brush up on, and on my arrival was treated to the continuous downpour of rain that lasted the whole of my 2 hour visit, still I stuck it out (silly boy!).

Needless to say I didn't see 'em nor much of anything else come to that, including any Redpolls at all. They are still present though as Mark Champion (Wigan Flashes Ranger/Warden) had seen them that morning around the Ince Moss Landfill area, presumably well before it rained and I got there He also said there had been a flock of over 200 Redpolls, perhaps with atleast afew other finches mixed in, around that area recently. With good weather (not likely for a while perhaps) they're not usually to difficult to find despite being very mobile as they fly about in a huge, noisy flock or sit around feeding in the alders in a huge, noisy flock, although getting a good look at them for any length of time can be a different and frustrating matter !

Wed lunchtime (6th Dec) there were a minimum of 4 Mealy Redpolls around the Ince Moss Landfill area, feeding on the lower slopes just by the canal half way between Pearson's and Moss Bridge, in a mobile flock of 80+ finches (Goldfinch plus Lesser and Mealy Redpolls). Typically I didn't see most of the flock, other than when they took to flight, but saw 4 Mealies feeding - an adult male, with extensive pale pink breast, a pale adult with no pink on the breast, and a couple of streaky prob first-winter birds. The flock could be quite confiding, but I didn't have time to follow them.