The cranes - and spring - are here!

There's a haunting sound that heralds the arrival of spring throughout south west France. As the weather begins to warm up and the evenings stretch out the common cranes start their mass migration north from winter feeding grounds in Spain and Algeria. Long before you can see the trailing skeins you can hear the soulful honking of the birds as they fly north, stopping here and there to spiral around on a thermal and gain height before the next leg.

There's something romantic and magical about their annual journey and it has become our tradition to race outside and watch them pass. It's also uplifting as it means the jumpers will soon be going into hibernation. Hello t-shirts!

The cranes' route takes them diagonally across France from the south west up to the Champagne region and beyond to Germany, Sweden and Finland where they have their nesting sites.

The numbers can be phenomenal. When they are gathering on the lakes that provide a muster point there can be 10 000 or 20 000 birds arriving or departing in a single day. By the time they are en route and flying through, say, the Aquitaine region, you're more likely to see groups of 50-500.

They've been going over for a couple of weeks now so it's your last chance to catch a glimpse in the next week or so. If you miss them on this trip, make a date to spot them on their return journey in late October and November.