Each year, between September and February, tens of thousands of migratory birds visit the Dee Estuary in North West England. Travelling from their summer breeding grounds in the arctic, they journey vast distances to overwinter in warmer climes. Arriving slowly at first, and then in huge numbers, the air is often filled with clouds of knot, dunlin, oystercatchers, sanderling and redshank.
A blizzard of birds, their lines of flight connecting me to northern lands. I wonder what sights these world travellers must have seen and what tales they could tell.
All too soon, they depart, continuing on their migratory paths, leaving only feathers washed in on the tide and temporary traces in the sand.
Birds of Passage
Each year, between September and February, tens of thousands of migratory birds visit the Dee Estuary in North West England. Travelling from their summer breeding grounds in the arctic, they journey vast distances to overwinter in warmer climes. Arriving slowly at first, and then in huge numbers, the air is often filled with clouds of knot, dunlin, oystercatchers, sanderling and redshank.
A blizzard of birds, their lines of flight connecting me to northern lands. I wonder what sights these world travellers must have seen and what tales they could tell.
All too soon, they depart, continuing on their migratory paths, leaving only feathers washed in on the tide and temporary traces in the sand.
The beach seems lonelier without them.