Sanderling numbers have started to increase on our coast as we move to the colder months. Over 60 were resting at high tide today. I always find them a joy to watch so I sit on the shingle they continue their routine and slowly come very close.

For me, these little birds’ arrival from their summer breeding grounds on the far Arctic tundra is a signal that we are moving into our winter. The terns have gone south but the Sanderlings have arrived.