As often happens in a snowy UK winter Redwings and Fieldfares from Scandinavia are filling the trees in our gardens. They are both a type of Thrush and fairly similar, but how to tell the difference at a glance? The photos above may be poor, but I'm hoping that accentuates the "at a glance" nature of the comparison, and they're fresh photos from recent days – who wants to see last year's well-focussed birds anyway! On the left is a Redwing, and on the right a Fieldfare.

Personally I find that Fieldfares are noticeably greyer and darker all over whereas Redwings have more of a general warm coloured hue, and of course the eponymous red patch peeping out from under the wing, but you might not be able to see that at a glance. Also the bright streak at the top of the Fieldfare's wing particularly tends to catch my eye and give positive ID.