Autumn is very near now bringing with it wildlife spectaculars as tens or hundreds of thousands of migrating geese overwinter on the UK shores and the Norfolk and Lincolnshire coasts around the Wash in particular. Some of the earliest to arrive are Brent geese. These nest on the boggy Arctic tundra, where the severe climate allows them only about two months of good weather in which to raise a family. By mid-September, they have left their breeding grounds, and arrive in large flocks on our shores in early October.

These are small dark coloured geese with a white bottom and can often be seen roosting on the river right outside the lighthouse in large flocks. Most will have left by the end of February but the young ones often hang on a lot later.

Also arriving over the last month are a flock of Barnacle geese. These are normal winter migrants to the UK but seldom come so far south and that means that these are probably birds that have escaped from local collections and that have bred locally. They stay around the Wash all year, leaving the lighthouse area for extended periods and then returning.

Barn owls have now raised their young and can be commonly seen flying up and down the shorelines looking for voles and mice. These are such evocative birds of the countryside evening and night.

Deer and Hares can be see more clearly across the fields now that crops have been harvested. Why not just sit in comfortable armchairs in the studio sketching window with a cup of tea and relax as you watch nature unfold.