Country diary: Every day has its own sonic fingerprint, never to be repeated

Sandy, Bedfordshire: My pre-dawn walk is turned into a game by the 'tseep' of a migrating redwingEver the early riser, even in curtain-closed autumn, I sometimes leave the house while day is still night. This was my first dark venture through as-yet unpeopled landscapes since the January lockdown. Even the dog walkers were still abed. I was excited by both the novelty of solitude and the expectation of catching one of the piercing markers of winter.And there it was - the high "tseep" of a migrating redwing. No point looking skywards into the black - though I did, instinctively. This single bird's contact call painted a picture of a small, tight flock arriving from Scandinavia. Continue reading...