Robin

The birds of the UK are brilliant. There are so many migrants and although there are very few endemics there are a number of notable species that visit these islands.

Among my favourites are the avocets which come over from Africa and are commonly found on Brownsea Island lagoon where they feed for tiny invertebrates along with numerous other Trans Saharan migrants like black tailed godwits.

Some of the small birds are among my favourites and these include the beautiful stonechats that live along the Devon cliffs and are quite tame and approachable.

Of the hundreds of species that are found here the long distant migrants I love most are the Brent Geese which migrate from their breeding grounds in Canada and Siberia and arrive here in October ready to graze the salt marshes where they feed on algae. Their haunting cries as they come in over the sea at the end of their long migration is especially poignant for me and a tear is never far away when I see them skimming in low over the waves, exhausted after their huge migration.