Country diary: millions of birds arrive on their autumn migration

Many birds migrate at night, using the stars to orient themselves. For some, Britain is the last stop – for others, a staging postWaking in the small hours, I find my bedroom bisected by a ribbon of light. The waxing gibbous moon hangs like a beaten silver pendant, backlighting wisps of cloud that cling to the inky sky like cobwebs. As I raise my binoculars to view the moon’s craters, I notice a tiny silhouette flutter across the lunar disc.Nocturnal migration allows birds to spend t