Strange bird.

[Alex.Mahone]

Hi, i noticed a bird in my garden today that i have never seen before, it is about the size of a thrush only fatter, it is brown/grey with a white breast that has a red splash on it, it seems very aggressive, bullying the blackbirds for the old apples i throw out, anyone any idea what it is?

[jonukas]

If the red splash is on the side of the bird it sounds like it's a Redwing, which is related to the Thrush. Put Redwing into Google-images and see if it is the same bird.

[jack daniels]

anything like this?

http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/2674/robin2 co3.jpg

it's a robin with the red pigmentation missing or only slightly showing

[Silvercat]

I think you have probably got a Fieldfare in your garden.
They come over from Scandinavia in the winter I believe especially when we have bad weather, I suppose its worse where they usually live so they come over here for a while.
We always find a few in our garden and field each winter, eating the windfall apples.
They look like a large speckly thrush and bounce around a lot. They do scare the Blackbirds away , although this year, we only had one Field fare and loads of Blackbirds who soon sent him about his business.