I heard them before I saw them and, the first time, I only saw them circle overhead before they flew west along the beach and adjacent cliffs, quickly out of sight.

But then I walked around the old harbour and out to the tip of the neighbouring headland, where, amazingly, I heard them calling again. And, incredibly, moments later they flew in and landed on the rough grass not far in front of me.

I managed to get a little closer and quickly snapped off as many photos as I was able, as I could see a couple with two dogs approaching along the headland and knew the birds would fly once they got closer. And that’s exactly what happened, with the birds following the same flight line as when I first saw them.

These are Choughs (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Britain’s rarest corvid and the only member of the crow family to have a red beak and legs. Choughs are only found in the western parts of Britain and they’re not a bird I usually see – in fact, it must be several years since I last saw one, so this was a real treat, and most unexpected.

Though I was having a wander around the seaside town of Barry, half an hour’s train ride west of where I live, that is still outside the area where Choughs are normally seen. Maybe their population has expanded, meaning this pair are now venturing outside their usual territory. Whatever the reason, I was absolutely chuffed/Choughed to see them.