October heralds a flurry of activity in the garden as the birds make provision for winter Overseas visitors join in the preparations, though they don't always stand out from the Crowd, Writes Dominic Couzens. If you ever needed reminding that adventure lies on your doorstep, take a few paces outside one evening this month and admire the night sky from your garden. You should make this sojourn well after dark, and try to choose a cold, still, frosty night when the chill kisses your lips like a qualitygin and tonic. Wait a few minutes and listen intently. Almost anywhere in Britain you should be able, at intervals, to make out a sharp 'see' call from high in the sky. It sounds a bit like a sharp intake of breath, and it comes from a redwing, a thrush that nests in Scandinavia and spends the winter here. The'birds that are calling are in transit, probably flying about 300m above your head.
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