Dawn in Hockham Forest 5 October 2024

 October is undoubtedly the month for witnessing bird migration.  Most summer migrants would have departed in this month and attention turns to winter Thrush migration.  Fieldfares, Redwings, Song Thrushes, and Blackbirds abandon their breeding grounds in Scandinavia and cross the North Sea into Britain.  Many of these Thrush species will winter with us, however, others may migrate to as far as the Iberian Peninsula. 

I love to stand outside on a cold, clear, and calm October night and listen for winter Thrushes passing overhead.  To experience this for yourself, go outside in the aforementioned conditions and listen for the soft "tik" call of Song Thrushes as they pass over, also, listen for the very distinctive "seeep" call of Redwings, this piercing call can often be heard over noisy towns and traffic.

As dawn breaks on October mornings begin to watch flocks of winter Thrushes moving south or west on their passage.  I have seen thousands of Thrushes passing overhead at varying heights both in October and November.  Included within these Thrush flocks there could be migrating Finches with them, both Chaffinches and Bramblings could be present.

This year I saw my first Redwings (2) on 3 October passing over in a west heading (Seen from our garden in Watton)

5 October in Hockham Forest

Dawn in Hockham Forest 5 October (Beautiful to experience)

What a beautiful morning this was.  I arrived in the forest at about 35 minutes prior to sunrise, it was calm, clear, and a thin mist hung over forest clearings, a very autumnal, and indeed, atmospheric feel. A male Tawny Owl was calling within the the habitat shown above.  What also added to this autumnal morning was the distant roaring of two Red Deer stags, a sound I shall never tire of listening to.  Eventually, I located one of the stags visually as it wandered slowly through marshland habitat where it occasionally continued to roar. 

As the sun breached the horizon I could see a distant raptor in the top of a tall tree, this was a female Marsh Harrier, she spent much of my visit preening and preparing herself for the day ahead.  Both Great Spotted and Green Woodpeckers were calling.

Close to where I was standing a Water Rail was squealing loudly, for anyone not familiar with this bird and its pig-like squeal, this could be an unsettling experience.

With light improving birds became quite active, several Jays seen flying over clearings and overhead the familiar "tsu" call of Siskins was heard.  A single Great White Egret approached in a long glide and settled on marshland habitat.  

Before departing I had a final look at the Marsh Harrier perched in a treetop, she continued busying herself with her preening