Yesterday, and on several other days over the past couple of weeks, I’ve heard the ‘pip pip pip’ call of birds passing overhead, a call I now recognise as that of the Meadow pipit (their name is shortened to mipit by most birders). At this time of year, these pipits move from their breeding grounds down to more southerly parts of Britain to overwinter where the weather is slightly milder. Though most fly straight across my area (yesterday I watched them heading out across the Bristol Channel towards Somerset and Devon), a few plop down in to the local fields to rest and refuel. Though they can be flighty and elusive, I’ve managed to grab photos of a couple before they’ve flitted up and off, on their journey south.