EVERY spring, people across the country eagerly await the arrival of birds such as the swallow, swift and cuckoo, which return to Britain to breed and raise a family. We may not be so aware of another group of migrants: those that come each autumn from the north and east to spend the winter months on the British Isles. These birds might not travel quite so far across the globe, yet their arrival is, if anything, even more of a spectacle, as they gather in vast flocks to feed in our fields, marshes, estuaries and coastlines.
They include many large birds, such as ducks, geese, swans and waders. Yet, among their number is a host of songbirds, such as starlings, thrushes and even some warblers —birds we traditionally think of as summer visitors to our shores. They all come here for the same reason: to find enough food to enable them to survive the winter, before they return to their spring and summer homes to breed.
Our provision of food and water may make the difference between life and death
As we brave the
