Around 1,400 kilometres separate Reykjavík in Iceland and Lahinch in County Clare—a remarkable distance when you travel on wings this small.
Each autumn, redwings arrive in Ireland from Iceland and Scandinavia, seeking food and milder conditions for the winter. At Cloudforest One, our woodland near Lahinch on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way, acoustic monitoring has been picking up their distinctive calls.
These small birds connect our corner of Clare with a much bigger story: the seasonal journeys of wildlife across northern Europe.
What Is a Redwing?
The redwing (Turdus iliacus) is a member of the thrush family, similar in size to a song thrush. Look for its pale eyebrow stripe, streaked breast and rusty-red colouring along its flanks and beneath its wings.
You might hear one before you see it. Redwings have a fine, high-pitched “tseep” call, often heard overhead during autumn migration.
For much of the year, their breeding grounds lie far to the north. When winter approaches, Ireland becomes a seasonal destination.
Where Do Ireland’s Redwings Come From?
Redwings visiting Ireland come from Iceland and Scandinavia, generally arriving from October and remaining until March or early April.
They leave northern breeding grounds as colder weather makes food harder to find. Ireland’s comparatively mild winters offer opportunities to feed in fields, hedgerows, woodland edges and other suitable habitats.
Many migrate at night. While most of us are indoors, their calls can reveal journeys taking place in the darkness above us.
How Far Is Iceland from County Clare?
As a geographical comparison, Reykjavík is approximately 1,400 kilometres from Lahinch in a straight line.
A redwing’s actual journey depends on where it begins, the route it follows and the conditions it encounters. This figure illustrates the scale of the distance; it does not describe a tracked journey by one of the birds detected at Cloudforest One.
Even with that distinction, the connection is remarkable. A small bird heard in Clare belongs to a species whose annual movements link Ireland with distant northern landscapes.
Listening for Redwings at Cloudforest One
Our BirdWeather acoustic monitoring system records sounds and uses automated identification to flag possible bird calls.
When we checked the station on 3 November 2026, its month view showed 354 redwing call detections.
That means 354 detections of calls, rather than 354 individual birds. One bird can generate multiple recordings, and some calls may come from birds travelling overhead.
The recordings cannot establish whether a particular redwing came from Iceland or Scandinavia. Automated identifications also require careful interpretation, with original recordings available for closer review.
What this monitoring offers is a window into seasonal bird activity that we might otherwise miss.
Explore the Cloudforest One bird analytics.
Why Trees and Hedgerows Matter to Winter Visitors
For a migrating bird, reaching Ireland is only part of the journey. Finding food and suitable habitat throughout the winter matters too.
Redwings eat worms and other invertebrates, as well as berries from plants including hawthorn and rowan. A varied landscape of trees, hedgerows and open feeding areas can offer different resources as conditions change.
This is one reason our work looks beyond the number of trees planted. The habitats developing around those trees—and their connections with the surrounding landscape—are part of the story.
A Shared Journey with Our CoolPartners
Our CoolPartners help Cloudforests continue creating woodlands and supporting nature along Ireland’s west coast.
For partners such as Aviate Credit Union and Travel Department, nature’s frequent flyers offer a particularly fitting connection: remarkable journeys abroad, and a shared commitment to nature here at home.
The redwing reminds us that wildlife crosses the boundaries we draw on maps. What happens in one landscape can matter to a bird whose life spans several countries.
Small birds. Extraordinary journeys. A welcome on Ireland’s west coast.
Discover the birds of Cloudforests, or become a CoolPartner.
