“This is when wildlife is on the move”

Says: Jamie Wyver, RSPB spokesman “I love autumn – it’s when wildlife is on the move, and birdwatching gets really exciting. Summer visitors to our shores have by now departed on their long journey south, and birds from northern and eastern Europe are arriving to either stop off en route, or spend winter here. Drawn by our climate which is fairly mild compared to where they’ve travelled from, and plentiful food on our farmland, marshes and mudflats, they show up in their thousands.

The coastal nature reserves around The Wash come alive with flocks of wading birds: black-tailed godwit, golden plover, knot, oystercatcher and many more. The RSPB’s Freiston Shore and Frampton Marsh on the Lincolnshire side, and Snettisham and Titchwell Marsh on the Norfolk side are amazing places to be right now. It’s not just the impressive sight of massive flocks of birds, it’s also the sheer variety flying in to this area that makes The Wash so special. On a good day you might see nearly 30 different types of wader at Frampton or Titchwell. The collection of estuaries here is England’s largest Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and globally important. It’s because of places like this that the RSPB is campaigning for strong environmental protections following Brexit: they are vitally important for the survival of so many birds.

Some of these winter wanderers may be from unexpected places, having taken a wrong turn on their migration route. Frampton Marsh has already been visited by two birds that hail from North America, a longbilled dowitcher and stilt sandpiper, this autumn. You never know what’s going to turn up, so get outdoors and take a look!”