Some call them heaven hounds, as their distinctive squeals fill the skies at dusk.

For others, they herald summer taking wing as autumn closes in on the Norfolk coast.

Tens of thousands of geese spend the winter on the Wash as the colder months creep in.

Geese roost in large numbers in The WashGeese roost in large numbers in The Wash (Image: Ian Burt) They spend their summer breeding in Iceland and Greenland before they flee the harsher winter further north and head south for Norfolk.

The birds fly inland at dawn in huge V-shaped skeins which can stretch for miles at the peak of their migration to our shores.

They head for coastal fields where farmers leave the tops of beet crops to feed them, before making their way back out to sea around dusk.

Geese fly inland in large flocks to feedGeese fly inland in large flocks to feed (Image: Ian Burt) READ MORE: Fabulous winter wildlife on Norfolk's coast

READ MORE: You know Autumn's on the way when you hear the geese 

More than 500,000 over-winter in the UK, with Norfolk one of the species' favoured destinations to ride out the colder months. Large flocks also arrive in the Thurne area. 

Some say they issue their unmistakable call - likened to a pack of hounds in cry by the nature writer "BB" - as those at the rear of their rippling formations encourage the leading birds to press on.

Pink-footed geese over Snettisham at dawnPink-footed geese over Snettisham at dawn (Image: Matthew Usher) They fly in their distinctive formations to allow each bird to tuck into the slipstream of the one ahead of it.

Their screams and squeaks form the evening soundtrack as winter knocks on Norfolk's door. 

The birds are one of the county's greatest wild spectacles. The best places to see them include Snettisham RSPB reserve, and along the coast at Hunstanton, Brancaster, Holkham, Wells and Cley. 

On still, frosty mornings, they can often be heard long before they are seen  across the sky as they fly inland to feed.