Over the last few days we have seen the arrival of the first of our winter thrushes, with Redwings the first to appear in small numbers from Scandinavia, often from the first week in October. Their high-pitched calls can be heard overhead during the hours of darkness as they migrate westwards, and tired and hungry flocks can often be seen and heard chattering as they search hedgerows for berry-laden bushes on which they feed.
There are only a small number of birds around at the moment,
but as the weather turns colder and the supply of fruit and berries becomes
depleted, larger numbers will return once again to the Ings to feed on the edge
of the damp meadows, taking advantage of the high numbers of earthworms and
other invertebrate prey.
Mid-September also saw the first arrivals of Pink-footed Geese in the UK and several skeins moved through the Lower Derwent Valley, as they began to arrive into the country from their Icelandic and Greenland breeding grounds. Flocks of these migrating geese often fly high and produce an almost excited medley of high-pitched honking calls, and being particularly vocal in flight makes them a sight and sound so indicative of autumn. As we move towards the end of October birds are still arriving in the LDV with two or three hundred birds now ‘resident’ around the reserve.
Almost 300,000 Pink-footed Geese winter in the UK each year
with large concentrations in Scotland, around the Wash and in the north-west,
particularly Martin Mere WWT. Flocks passing through the reserve at this time
of year are all heading south-east and are probably on passage to the Wash or
Humber Estuary. Birds then return north-west again in January and February as
they start to return to the north-west coasts before making the spring
migration back to their breeding grounds. Small numbers sometimes remain
throughout the winter and join up with the larger semi-resident Greylag flocks.
Pink-footed Geese can be separated from the similar Greylag quite easily – look
for a small, dainty dark chocolate brown head and a small dark bill with a band
of pink (if seen well) – also take note of the pink legs as opposed to the more
orangey-pink legs of the larger/greyer Greylag. No doubt more flocks will
follow over the next few weeks so please do let us know if you see (or hear)
any.
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