Northern Experience Wildlife Tours

Rare and scarce migrants are always a delight to find (and, in fact, I’m going to be heading to the coast shortly to try and do just that) but for me there are two sounds that are evocative of the autumn and birdwatching at this time of the year and just as enjoyable as tracking down a ‘rare’.  After seeing so many Pink-footed Geese arriving at Budle Bay last week, it could only be a matter of time before they were closer to home.  Sure enough, on Sunday afternoon, the distinctive high-pitched calls could be heard in the skies over our southeast Northumberland village and we watched a skein of 100+ birds heading south.  The second call comes from one of those species that first grabbed my imagination many many years ago;  our primary school playing field played host to a flock of Redwings each winter.  I knew that they were something special and only graced us with their presence for a short time each year and now, nearly 40 years later, I still eagerly await the high pitched ‘seep’ calls as they pass overhead in the early autumn.  Yesterday morning they began passing westwards over Choppington Woods and I thought to myself “that’s it, summer’s gone, winter’s coming”.  Then a Chiffchaff started singing