Autumn Acers

Autumn at it's most spectacular is with us as we found in a visit to Westonbirt Arboretum today.
A few more windy days and the leaves will be gone so enjoy it while you can.

Wheatear

Now is a good time to see birds on migration and we were pleased to get a good view of a small group of wheatear on Uley Bury today.
After spending the summer in their breeding grounds mostly on open moorland the birds are now heading off to warmer climes in Africa for the winter

Autumn colours

The autumn colours are progressing in the Cotswolds as the trees turn. Last weekend on our afternoon walk we had misty conditions so that far views were hasy but nearer views ok.

Autumnal mist and cobwebs

Spiders have been busy weaving cobwebs and the morning mist has covered them with droplets of dew making an impressive sight.

Lunar Eclipse

Tonight's lunar eclipse coincided with a supermoon when the Moon is at its nearest to the Earth. The sky was cloud free so there was a fantastic view of the red moon.
It was well worth missing some sleep for as the next time this will happen is 2033.

Crane Reintroduction

 I know we have featured this several times before but congratulations to WWT , RSPB and others involved in their Crane Reintroduction Project.
On a visit to Slimbridge today we saw 13 Cranes including a family group of two adults and one fledged juvenile which we were thrilled to see fly off over the reserve.
How marvellous to see this amazing birds reintroduced and breeding in the wild.

Spindle Tree

It is the Autumnal Equinox so nights will now be longer than the days. The leaves of deciduous trees are changing colour before they fall and the Euonymus europaeus commonly known as the Spindle tree is one of the early ones to change.
This small tree has a hard dense wood and straight stems once used to make spindles skewers and clothes pegs.

Autumn Crocus

Autumn Crocus or Meadow Saffron is in flower now until October. Unlike the more familiar crocus we see in the spring only the flowers are present now as the leaves came earlier in the year. It is actually a lily and poisonous but has been used as a cure for gout.

Swallows

When we were wandering around Westonbirt Arboretum recently we spotted some Swallows flying around an Oak tree. On further inspection we realised that they were adult Swallows feeding some young that were sat in the top of the tree. We had never seen this happen before and thought you might be interested. If you look carefully you can see three youngsters.

Thistledown

Autumn is with us and thistles are spreading their seed in  the breeze. This patch has a spectacular amount waiting for the wind to distribute over the surrounding fields,